Arne Korsmo (14 August 1900 – 29 August 1968) was a leading architect in Norway and a propagator of the international architectural style. He taught at the

Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry The National College of Art and Design ( no, Statens håndverks- og kunstindustriskole) was established in 1818. In 1996 the National College of Art and Design became part of Oslo National Academy of the Arts The Oslo National Academy of the A ...

and he was a professor at the Department of Architecture at the

Norwegian Institute of Technology The Norwegian Institute of Technology (Norwegian: ''Norges tekniske høgskole'', NTH) was a science institute in Trondheim, Norway. It was established in 1910, and existed as an independent technical university for 58 years, after which it was m ...

Biography

Arne Korsmo grew up in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

and took his final exams during 1920. He earned a diploma from the architectural line of the

in 1926. He practiced with some of Oslo's leading architects including

Arnstein Arneberg Arnstein Rynning Arneberg (6 July 1882 – 9 June 1961) was a Norwegian architect. He was active professionally for 50 years and is often considered the leading architect in Norway of his time. Personal life Arnstein Rynning Arneberg was b ...

and Magnus Poulsson. During 1926–27, Korsmo worked at the architectural office of Finn Bryn and Johan Ellefsen, where he first came into contact with modernism. In 1928, Korsmo started his own practice with architect Sverre Aasland (1899–1989). Several of his villas were designed and built in the years while he was in partnership with Sverre Aasland. Korsmo drew plans for 50 villas, several of which are regarded as masterpieces of Norwegian functionalism. Villa Stenersen, designed from 1937 to 1939 for the financier and art collector

Rolf Stenersen Rolf Kristian Eckersberg Stenersen (13 February 1899 – 15 October 1978) was a Norwegian businessman, non-fiction writer, essayist, novelist, playwright and biographer. He was also a track and field athlete and art collector. Background ...

, is one of Korsmo’s most well-known works. From 1935, Korsmo lectured at the

in Oslo and was professor at the

. At the same time he worked as an architect and designer, often with his second wife, designer

Grete Prytz Kittelsen Grete Prytz Kittelsen (born Adelgunde Margrethe Prytz, June 28, 1917, Oslo, died September 25, 2010, Oslo), was a Norwegian goldsmith, enamel artist, and designer. She is one of the most well-known Norwegians in the Scandinavian Design movement, ...

. Among his central mission was Norway's pavilion at the

Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne (1937) The ''Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne'' (International Exposition of Art and Technology in Modern Life) was held from 25 May to 25 November 1937 in Paris, France. Both the Palais de Chaillot, housing the Mus ...

and arranging Norway's participation in Milan X Triennale (1954). Among the young architects who worked in Korsmo's office during 1939 was American architect Robert Little (1919–2005) as Little noted in his biography in the American Architects Directory in 1962. In 1950, Korsmo was asked by Swiss art historian,

Sigfried Giedion Sigfried Giedion (sometimes misspelled Siegfried Giedion; 14 April 1888, Prague – 10 April 1968, Zürich) was a Bohemian-born Swiss historian and critic of architecture. His ideas and books, '' Space, Time and Architecture'', and ''Mech ...

to lead the Norwegian group of

Congrès International d'Architecture Moderne A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ad ...

. The group, which was named PAGON (Progressive Architects Group Oslo, Norway), had the goal of implementing and promoting modern architecture. Other central figures in PAGON included Sverre Fehn, Geir Grung,

Christian Norberg-Schulz Christian Norberg-Schulz (23 May 1926 – 28 March 2000) was a Norwegian architect, author, educator and architectural theorist. Norberg-Schulz was part of the Modernist Movement in architecture and associated with architectural phenomenology. ...

and Håkon Mjelva.

Honors

Arne Korsmo received the

Houen Foundation Award The Houen Foundation Award ( no, Houens fonds diplom) is Norway's most important award for architecture. It was established in 1893 by Anton Christian Houen (1823–1894). A successful merchant and businessman, Houen established several phila ...

in 1937 jointly with architect Sverre Aasland and in 1939 for the Havna allé housing development. In 1939, he was knighted with the

French Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...

. At the Triennale in Milan, he won the Grand Prix and a gold medal (1954) and silver medal (1957). He was honored with a memorial exhibition at the

Henie-Onstad Art Centre The Henie Onstad Kunstsenter is an art museum located at Høvikodden in Bærum municipality in Viken county, Norway. It is situated on a headland jutting into the Oslofjord, approximately southwest of Oslo. History The artcentre was founded ...

(1972).

Personal life

In April 1945, he married Grete Prytz Kittelsen (1917-2010). They divorced after 15 years.

Notable works

* (1930–32) ''Havna Allé 1-14'' (with Sverre Aasland) * (1934–35) ''Villa Riise'' (with Sverre Aasland) * (1937–39) ''Villa Stenersen'' * (1929–30) ''Lille Frøens vei'' (with Sverre Aasland) * (1932) ''Villa Dammann'' (with Sverre Aasland) * (1937) ''Norges paviljong, Paris '' (with Knut Knutsen and Ole Lind Schistad) * (1938) ''Vi Kan-utstillingen'' (with Knut Knutsen and Andreas Nygaard) * (1961–63) ''Britannia Hotel, Trondheim'' (with

Terje Moe Terje Moe may refer to: *Terje Moe (architect) Terje Moe (4 November 1933 – 24 July 2009) was a Norwegian architect. He was born in Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitut ...

)

Gallery

File:VillaDamman.jpg, Villa Dammann File:Villa Riise Hamar.jpg, Villa Riise File:LilleFrøensVei no 16 v1.JPG, Lille Frøens vei No 16 File:HavnaAlleNo 9.JPG, Havna Allé No 9 File:HavnaAlleNo 11.JPG, Havna Allé No 11 File:HavnaAlleNo 12.JPG, Havna Allé No 12 File:HavnaAlleNo 13.JPG, Havna Allé No 13 File:HavnaAlleNo14.JPG, Havna Allé No 14

References

Other sources

* Norberg-Schulz, Christian ''The Functionalist Arne Korsmo'' (Universitetsforlaget. 1986) * Brænne, Jon, Bøe, Eirik T., Skjerven, Astrid, ''Arne Korsmo: arkitektur og design'' (Universitetsforlaget. 2004)

External links

* Timeline of Korsmo's life * {{DEFAULTSORT:Korsmo, Arne 1900 births 1968 deaths Architects from Oslo Norwegian Institute of Technology alumni Academic staff of the Norwegian Institute of Technology Academic staff of the Oslo National Academy of the Arts Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur 20th-century Norwegian architects