The Ibsen quotes is a permanent work of art 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 ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

, officially known as Ibsen Sitat. Famous quotes from

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 ...

are incorporated into the sidewalks of prominent city streets.

History

The initiative was taken by Sune Nordgren, inspired by a similar project involving August Strindberg quotes in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

. In 2001, Gavin Jantjes was appointed curator of the work. Sixty quotes in

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

lettering were to be set into the sidewalks. The work was to be completed by 2006, the 100th anniversary of Henrik Ibsen's death. As a result of delays, by 2006 only three quotes had been laid, at a cost of . The Swedish artist duo ''FA+'' ( Ingrid Falk and

Gustavo Aguerre Gustavo Aguerre (born 1953 in Buenos Aires, Argentina) is an artist, photographer, curator, writer, and theatre designer.http://www.artfortune.com/gustavo-aguerre/artist-198613/ Career Aguerre studied at the Munich Art Academy between 1974 and ...

) had been selected to handle the quotes, but they resigned from the project in May 2006. NOK 400,000 came from the

Arts Council Norway The Arts Council Norway ( no, Norsk kulturråd, often shortened to ''Kulturrådet'') is the official arts council for Norway. Based in Oslo, it is a Norwegian state institution created in 1965 as a result of a parliamentary decision in 1964. Art ...

and the foundation that oversaw the 100th anniversary, but some of the funds were used for other causes. The group behind the project, the Ibsen Foundation, explained that in their view the money had not been specifically earmarked. In 2006, the Ibsen Foundation was relieved of involvement in the project. Between 2006 and 2008, the project advanced, resulting in a work of art consisting of 69 quotes and 4,011 letters. The quotes are strewn along a trail between the Ibsen Museum and Ibsen's favorite haunt, the Grand Café. Sparebankstiftelsen DnB NOR contributed a total of to the project.

Criticism

The artwork has been criticized for displaying quotes by the famous author in a random and not always understandable way. Per Jæger, project leader since 2006, replied that it was among the most accessible works of art in Norway, and that ordinary people had been asked to pick some of the quotes. He said that it would become a "tourist attraction on a par with

Fram Fram may refer to: Ships * ''Fram'' (ship), an arctic exploration vessel from Norway * MS ''Fram'', expedition cruise ship owned by Hurtigruten Group Places and geography * Fram, Paraguay, a town in Itapúa, Paraguay * Fram Formation, a se ...

and the

Holmenkollen ski jump Holmenkollbakken is a large ski jumping hill located at Holmenkollen in Oslo, Norway. It has a hill size of HS134, a construction point of K-120, and a capacity for 70,000 spectators. Holmenkollen has hosted the Holmenkollen Ski Festival since 18 ...

". The work has also been criticized as being unsuitable for city streets, creating additional requirements for cleaning and repair.

Peculiarities

The text consistently displays typographical errors, such as using hyphens for rules, and underlinings for italics or emphatic spacing; and there are regular spelling mistakes, such as “Vilejløst” for “viljeløst”. The work’s title “Ibsen Sitat”, a separated composite, is ungrammatical.

References

{{Henrik Ibsen Culture in Oslo 2008 establishments in Norway Public art Quotes, Oslo 2008 works