Harry Fett (8 September 1875 – 13 September 1962) was a Norwegian

art historian Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...

and factory owner. He headed the

Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage The Directorate for Cultural Heritage ( no, Riksantikvaren or ''Direktoratet for kulturminneforvaltning'') is a government agency responsible for the management of cultural heritage in Norway. Subordinate to the Norwegian Ministry of the Environm ...

from 1913 to 1946.

Personal life

Fett was born in Christiania to factory owner Frans Eduard Fett and Ester Carolina Emilia Fischer. He was wed to Harriet Emilie Trepka Rode in 1903.

Career

Fett finished his

examen artium Examen artium was the name of the academic certification conferred in Denmark and Norway, qualifying the student for admission to university studies. Examen artium was originally introduced as the entrance exam of the University of Copenhagen in 1 ...

in 1894. He then undertook a European study tour which lasted four years, visiting Germany and Italy. During these studies he was particularly influenced by the art historians Wilhelm Vöge and

Adolf Furtwängler Johann Michael Adolf Furtwängler (30 June 1853 – 10 October 1907) was a German archaeologist, teacher, art historian and museum director. He was the father of the conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler and grandfather of the German archaeologist Andr ...

. Back in Norway he was appointed secretary of the

Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments ( no, Fortidsminneforeningen) is an organization focused on conservation preservation in Norway. The Society was founded in 1844. The founders were painters, historians, art historians ...

. While in this position Fett carried out a large documentary work on church art from the Middle Ages throughout the country. He also did work for the

Norwegian Museum of Cultural History Norsk Folkemuseum (Norwegian Museum of Cultural History), at Bygdøy, Oslo, Norway, is a museum of cultural history with extensive collections of artifacts from all social groups and all regions of the country. It also incorporates a large open- ...

. In 1908 he delivered his doctoral thesis, ''Billedhuggerkunsten i Norge under Sverreætten''. After the death of his father in 1911, he took over as manager for the family company, including the factories Høyenhall Fabrikker. He headed the

from 1913 to 1946. While in this position he supported the conservation and restoration of ancient Church Art, and worked for the preservation of sites such as the mining town

Røros Røros ( sma, Plaassja, ) is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Røros. Some of the villages in Røros include Brekken, Glåmos, Feragen, Galåa, and Hitterdalen. The minin ...

and

Bryggen Bryggen (''the dock''), also known as Tyskebryggen (, ''the German dock''), is a series of Hanseatic heritage commercial buildings lining up the eastern side of the Vågen harbour in the city of Bergen, Norway. Bryggen has been on the UNESCO ...

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

, both later listed as

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

s. Fett regularly wrote articles for magazines and newspapers, and issued several books. He was a co-founder of the magazine ''

Kunst og Kultur ''Kunst og Kultur'' (meaning ''Art and Culture'' in English) is a Norwegian art historical journal founded in 1910 by Harry Fett and Haakon Shetelig. Leif Østby edited the journal from 1962 to 1980. Editor from 2018 is Bente Aass Solbakken. The ...

'' in 1910, and started the organization ''Kunst på arbeidsplassen''. Fett was decorated Knight, First Class of the

Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a ci ...

in 1925, Commander in 1938, and Commander with star in 1946.

Selected bibliography

*''Billedhuggerkunsten i Norge under Sverreætten'' (thesis, 1908) *''Norges kirker i middelalderen'' (1909) *''Norges kirker i nyere tid'' (1909) *''Norges kirker i det 16de og 17de aarhundrede'' (1911) *''Norges malerkunst i middelalderen'' (1917) *''Norsk kunsthistorie'' (1925–1927, two volumes, together with C. W. Schnitler)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fett, Harry 1875 births 1962 deaths Writers from Oslo Norwegian art historians Norwegian businesspeople Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters Norwegian magazine founders