Dyre Vaa (19 January 1903 – 11 May 1980) was a Norwegian sculptor and painter.

Background

He was born in

Kviteseid Kviteseid is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Telemark in the Counties of Norway, county of Vestfold og Telemark in Norway. It is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Upper Telemark and Vest-Telemark. The administrative ...

Telemark Telemark is a traditional region, a former county, and a current electoral district in southern Norway. In 2020, Telemark merged with the former county of Vestfold to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark. Telemark borders the traditional ...

, and later lived and worked in

Rauland Rauland is a former municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1860 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Vinje Municipality. The administrative centre was the village of Raulandsgrend (also known ...

. He was the son of Tor Aanundsson Vaa (1864–1928) and Anne Marie Roholt (1866–1947). Vaa grew up the youngest of five siblings in a wealthy home. His father was one of the largest forest owners in

. He graduated artium at Kristiania Cathedral School in 1920. Vaa studied 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 at

Norwegian National Academy of Fine Arts The Norwegian National Academy of Arts ( no, Statens kunstakademi) is a Norwegian Academy offering studies in the area of Fine Art. The Academy currently offers 3-year bachelor and 2-year MA programmes. The "Norwegian National Academy of the Arts" ...

from 1922–23, under

Wilhelm Rasmussen Wilhelm Rasmussen (15 June 1879 – 6 December 1965) was a Norwegian sculptor. Wilhelm Robert Rasmussen was born in Skien in Telemark county, Norway. He studied under Norwegian sculptors Brynjulf Bergslien and Lars Utne (1862–1922), and late ...

, and later traveled to

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

for studies.

Career

In 1925, his first important work was a portrait of Minister of Education Ivar Peterson Tveiten (bronze.

National Gallery of Norway The National Gallery ( no, Nasjonalgalleriet) is a gallery in Oslo, Norway. Since 2003 it is administratively a part of the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design. , the admission cost is 100 Norwegian kroner. History It was establishe ...

). In 1932, Vaa sculptures, paintings and drawings first appeared in

Kunstnernes Hus Kunstnernes Hus (Norwegian for "Artists' House") is an art gallery in Oslo, Norway. It is Norway's largest gallery under the direction of artists, and has served as a major center for exhibits of Norwegian and international contemporary art. It i ...

. He served as chairman of the Norwegian Sculptor Association (''Norsk Billedhuggerforening'') from 1960-62. He continued to work until health problems from the mid-1970s.

Works

Among his works are his

Ludvig Holberg Ludvig Holberg, Baron of Holberg (3 December 1684 – 28 January 1754) was a writer, essayist, philosopher, historian and playwright born in Bergen, Norway, during the time of the Dano-Norwegian dual monarchy. He was influenced by Humanism, ...

sculpture outside

Nationaltheatret The National Theatre in Oslo ( no, Nationaltheatret) is one of Norway's largest and most prominent venues for performance of dramatic arts. History The theatre had its first performance on 1 September 1899 but can trace its origins to Christiani ...

in Oslo, on 1 September 1939.Holbergstatuen: Avduket på Europas mørkeste dag
''www.hovedstaden.no'' (Retrieved on 22 September 2008) Further four bronze sculptures with motives from Norwegian fairy tales at Ankerbrua (''Peer Gynt'', ''Veslefrikk med fela'', '' Kari Trestakk'' and ''Kvitebjørn Kong Valemon''), and bronze wolves at Ila (1930). Vaa contributed to the decoration of

Oslo City Hall Oslo City Hall ( no, Oslo rådhus) is a municipal building in Oslo, the capital of Norway. It houses the city council, the city's administration and various other municipal organisations. The building as it stands today was constructed between ...

,The City Hall
(Retrieved on 23 September 2008) with the swan fountain in the courtyard (1948–1950). He has made portrayal sculptures of several writers,

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

(1958,

Skien Skien () is a city and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county in Norway. In modern times it is regarded as part of the traditional region of Grenland, although historically it belonged to Grenmar/Skiensfjorden, while Grenland referred the Norsj ...

Aasmund Olavsson Vinje Aasmund Olavsson Vinje (6 April 1818 – 30 July 1870) was a Norwegian poet and journalist who is remembered for poetry, travel writing, and his pioneering use of Landsmål (now known as Nynorsk). Background Vinje was born into a poor but ...

(1968),

Ivar Aasen Ivar Andreas Aasen (; 5 August 1813 – 23 September 1896) was a Norwegian philologist, lexicographer, playwright, and poet. He is best known for having assembled one of the two official written versions of the Norwegian language, Nynorsk, from va ...

, and

Olav Aukrust Olav Aukrust (21 January 1883 – 3 November 1929) was a Norwegian poet and teacher. He popularized the use of Nynorsk as a literary language and is most commonly associated with his poem ''Himmelvarden'' (1916). Biography Aukrust was born in ...

(1955, Lom), the fiddle player

Myllarguten Targjei Augundsson (1801 – 21 November 1872), better known as Myllarguten (meaning ''the Millerboy''), is arguably the most acknowledged Norwegian folk musician to this day, and by far the most legendary. Childhood Targjei was born in Sauhera ...

( Arabygdi, Rauland), sculptural work at the

Nidaros Cathedral Nidaros Cathedral ( no, Nidarosdomen / Nidaros Domkirke) is a Church of Norway cathedral located in the city of Trondheim in Trøndelag county. It is built over the burial site of Olav II of Norway, King Olav II (c. 995–1030, reigned 1015–102 ...

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

, several

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

memorials (

Rjukan Rjukan () is a town and the administrative centre of Tinn municipality in Telemark, Norway. It is situated in Vestfjorddalen, between Møsvatn and Lake Tinn, and got its name after Rjukan Falls west of the town. The Tinn municipality council grant ...

1946,

Nordfjord Nordfjord ( en, Northern fjord—in contrast to Sunnfjord) is a traditional district of Norway. Geography The region is located in the northern part of Vestland county in Western Norway. It centers on the Nordfjorden and it comprises the muni ...

1947,

Porsgrunn is a city and municipality in Telemark in the county of Vestfold og Telemark in Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Porsgrunn. The municipality of Porsgrunn was ...

1950,

Gjerpen Gjerpen is a former township which is now part of the municipality of Skien, in Telemark county, Norway. Location The parish of Gjerpen was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). According to the 1835 census th ...

1954), and is represented at the

Dyre Vaa Sculptural Art Collection

He gave a number of his works to Vinje municipality which formed the basis for the Dyre Vaa Sculptural Art Collection (''Dyre Vaa-samlingane''). The museum opened 1981 and is operating in conjunction with Vest-Telemark Museum. On display are bronze sculptures and many of his gypsum figures, drawings and sketches.Dyre Vaa samlingane
''Vest-Telemark museum'' (Retrieved on 23 September 2008) Rauland Kunstmuseum - Dyre Vaa and Skinnarland collections
(Retrieved on 23 September 2008)

Awards

Dyre Vaa was awarded the Schäffers legat (1924–25), Aalls legat (1924), Conrad Mohrs legat (1926) and Houens legat (1929). Vaa won the

King's Medal of Merit The King's Medal of Merit (Norwegian: ''Kongens fortjenstmedalje'') is a Norwegian award. It was instituted in 1908 to reward meritorious achievements in the fields of art, science, business, and public service. It is divided in two classes: gold ...

in gold in 1951 and Nidaros Cathedral Gold Medal in 1969. He was made a Knight 1st Class in the Order of St. Olav in 1969.

Personal life

He was the younger brother of lyricist

Aslaug Vaa Aslaug Vaa (25 August 1889 – 28 November 1965) was a Norwegian poet and playwright. Her works contain elements from local tradition and landscape mixed with international influence. Personal life Aslaug Vaa was born on Nystog in Rauland, ...

. The writer

Tarjei Vesaas Tarjei Vesaas (20 August 1897 – 15 March 1970) was a Norwegian poet and novelist. Vesaas is widely considered to be one of Norway's greatest writers of the twentieth century and perhaps its most important since World War II. Biography Vesaas ...

and composer

Eivind Groven Eivind Groven (8 October 1901 – 8 February 1977) was a Norwegian composer and music-theorist. He was from traditional region of Vest-Telemark and had a background in the folk music of the area. Biography Groven was born in the village of L� ...

were his second cousins. In 1927, he married Thora Lange Bojer (1902–1999) who was daughter of writer

Johan Bojer Johan Bojer (6 March 1872 – 3 July 1959) was a popular Norwegian novelist and dramatist. He principally wrote about the lives of the poor farmers and fishermen, both in his native Norway and among the Norwegian immigrants in the United States. H ...

and was a frequent model in his work. They were the parents of six children. Their son Tor Vaa (1928-2008) was also a sculptor.

References

External links

Dyre Vaa-samlingane website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vaa, Dyre 1903 births 1980 deaths People from Kviteseid People educated at Oslo Cathedral School Oslo National Academy of the Arts alumni Norwegian sculptors 20th-century Norwegian painters 20th-century sculptors Recipients of the King's Medal of Merit in gold Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal