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Nils Sigurd Aas (21 April 1933 – 10 February 2004) was a
Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...
sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
. He was one of the most prominent artists in modern Norwegian sculpture and is particularly well known for his statue of
Haakon VII Haakon VII (; born Prince Carl of Denmark; 3 August 187221 September 1957) was the King of Norway from November 1905 until his death in September 1957. Originally a Danish prince, he was born in Copenhagen as the son of the future Frederick ...
, located in the June Seventh Square 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 ...
, and for designing coins for Norwegian currency, including 10- krone and 20-krone coins.


Biography

Nils Sigurd Aas was born in
Inderøy Inderøy is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Innherad region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Straumen. Other villages include Framverran, Gangstadhaugen, Hylla, Kjerknesvågen, ...
, in Nord-Trøndelag County, Norway. He grew up in a family of prominent carpenters and furniture makers. His grandfather (also named Nils Aas) had established a carpentry workshop and water-driven sawmill in Straumen. His father, Ivar Aas, took over the carpentry workshop at the death of the elder Nils Aas in 1927, and eventually won awards for his furniture work. The family also operated a Sunday School out of the same building as the workshop, from 1933 to 1973. Aas' mother Inga Lie was from
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 had come to the village in 1928, working for the local parish priest. Ivar and Inga met and married the same year, and the couple had five children: Marit (1929), Signe (1930), Nils (1933), Aslaug (1935) and Arne (1941). In his youth, Nils was an active as ski jumper and athlete. Nils was educated in the family trade of woodworking from an early age, and his earliest preserved work is a wooden sculpture of Bishop
Arne Fjellbu Arne Fjellbu (19 December 1890 – 9 October 1962) was a Norwegian bishop. During World War II, he played a central role in the Church's resistance against the Nazi authorities. He was bishop of the Diocese of Nidaros from 1945 to 1960. Ear ...
, made when Aas was 16 years old. After graduating from secondary school and after a short stint in military service, Aas applied to 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 (''Kunsthøgskolen i Oslo'', KHiO). ...
in 1954 at the age of 21; his older sister, Marit, had started at the school two years earlier. His father marked the occasion by making a suitcase of wood as a farewell gift to the son. Aas studied at the school from 1954 to 1958, notably under Arne Bruland and Ivar Bell. Bell taught Aas calligraphy but ultimately pushed his pupil towards his eventual career as another type of artist, commenting "I think you are three-dimensional"; Aas took the advice and enrolled in sculpture classes the next term. Upon leaving the institute, Nils went on to study under sculptor Nils Flakstad from 1958 to 1959. At the end of 1959, he accepted work with
Per Palle Storm Per Palle Storm (1 December 1910 – 6 January 1994) was a Danish-born Norwegian sculptor and professor at the Norwegian National Academy of Fine Arts. Biography He was born in Copenhagen and was raised in Argentina. He was the son of Hans Pet ...
. As a student, Aas had various commercial and industry jobs, particularly over his summers, including a stint at an advertising agency, and another as an assistant at the architectural and planning offices in
Steinkjer Steinkjer is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Innherad region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Steinkjer which is located on the inner part of the Trondheimsfjord. The town is also th ...
. Advertising did not appeal to him, but the experience in architecture further influenced his concepts for sculpture, particularly those designed for public spaces. In his last term at the National Academy, and for several years following, Aas began to work as an assistant to the abstract sculptor Arnold Haukeland, who would have a substantial impact upon Aas's own style. Aas worked for Haukeland in varying capacities through 1966, at which point Haukeland took on a new assistant and encouraged Aas to develop his own reputation. Through Haukeland, Aas was introduced to the aesthetics of abstract form. He participated in the creation of two of Haukeland's most famous sculptures: ''Elements Fountain'' at
Bærum Bærum () is a municipality in the Greater Oslo Region in Norway that forms an affluent suburb of Oslo on the west coast of the city. Bærum is Norway's fifth largest municipality with a population of 128,760 (2021). It is part of the electoral ...
Town Hall and ''Dynamics'', a sculpture on the promenade at Sjølyst in Oslo. It was in Haukeland's studio that Aas created his own debut work (titled ''Torso'') for the Autumn Exhibition in Oslo.


Art works

Aas's art is featured in numerous public spaces in Norway, and he is represented by important works in the
National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...
and the Trondheim Kunstmuseum. Aas' work in sculpture spanned several different styles and material bases. His most famous work, a statue of
King Haakon VII Haakon VII (; born Prince Carl of Denmark; 3 August 187221 September 1957) was the King of Norway from November 1905 until his death in September 1957. Originally a Danish prince, he was born in Copenhagen as the son of the future Frederick VI ...
, located in the June 7 Plaza, is made of clay and plaster and cast in bronze. A statue of Henrik Ibsen in
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 o ...
is made of granite, while several other public decorative works are made in wood. His 10-ton heavy wall decoration ''Nordisk Lys'' in the Council of Europe's
Council of Ministers A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/ shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...
building in Strasbourg is made of laminated spruce. It is 16 meters wide and 6 meters high. Several other Aas works were rendered in steel wire and/or paper. Among these are a miniature statue of a horseback rider in steel wire and figures representing
Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (Latin: áːɾkus̠ auɾέːli.us̠ antɔ́ːni.us̠ English: ; 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 AD and a Stoic philosopher. He was the last of the rulers known as the Five Good ...
, Rallar, and Charlie Chaplin composed of steel wire and copper plate. He is also known for a large number of small sculptures made entirely from paper. A number of other sculptures, often formed to serve as facades to walls, were made entirely from wood. Other statues by Nils Aas include works based on
Grete Waitz Grete Waitz (, 1 October 195319 April 2011) was a Norwegian marathon runner and former world record holder. In 1979, at the New York City Marathon, she became the first woman in history to run the marathon in under two and a half hours. Waitz wo ...
and Henrik Ibsen. He also created a large number of portrait busts, including works modeled on
Einar Gerhardsen Einar Henry Gerhardsen (; 10 May 1897 – 19 September 1987) was a Norwegian politician from the Labour Party of Norway. He was the 22nd prime minister of Norway for three periods, 1945–1951, 1955–1963 and 1963–1965. With totally 17 years in ...
,
Johan Borgen Johan Collett Müller Borgen (28 April 1902 – 16 October 1979) was a Norwegian writer, journalist and critic. His best-known work is the novel ''Lillelord'' for which he was awarded the Norwegian Critics Prize for Literature in 1955. He was ...
, Arthur Rubinstein, Håkon Bleken,
Harald Sæverud Harald Sigurd Johan Sæverud (17 April 1897 – 27 March 1992) was a Norwegian composer. He is most known for his music to Henrik Ibsen's ''Peer Gynt'', '' Rondo Amoroso'', and the ''Ballad of Revolt'' ( no, Kjempeviseslåtten). Sæverud ...
, Jakob Weidemann and Rolf Jacobsen. Aas is also well known as the designer of a number of medals and coins for official treasury or governmental purposes in Norway, most notably the current 10- krone and 20-krone coins.


Selected works

*
Haakon VII Haakon VII (; born Prince Carl of Denmark; 3 August 187221 September 1957) was the King of Norway from November 1905 until his death in September 1957. Originally a Danish prince, he was born in Copenhagen as the son of the future Frederick ...
- 7. juni-plassen, Oslo *
Hjalmar Andersen Hjalmar "Hjallis" Johan Andersen (12 March 1923 – 27 March 2013) was a speed skater from Norway who won three gold medals at the 1952 Winter Olympic Games of Oslo, Norway. He was the only triple gold medalist at the 1952 Winter Olympics, and ...
- Bislett Stadium, Oslo * Henrik Ibsen - Den Nationale Scene, Bergen * Charlie Chaplin - Colosseum Cinema, Oslo * Anne Stine and
Helge Ingstad Helge Marcus Ingstad (30 December 1899 – 29 March 2001) was a Norwegian explorer. In 1960, after mapping some Norse settlements, Ingstad and his wife archaeologist Anne Stine Ingstad found remnants of a Viking settlement in L'Anse aux Meadow ...
- Vikingskipshuset, Oslo *
Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...
- Haugesund * P.C. Reinsnes -
Sortland or is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Vesterålen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Sortland. Other population centres in Sortland include Bø, Holand, Holmstad, ...


Awards and honors

* 1972 - Oslo City Culture Prize * 1984 - Statens æreslønn * 1990 - Anders Jahre cultural prize (''Anders Jahres kulturpris'') (jointly with
Asbjørn Aarnes Asbjørn Aarnes (20 December 1923 – 8 January 2013) was a Norwegian professor and literary historian. Biography He was born at Vågbø in Tingvoll, Norway. He studied from 1951-52 at École Normale Supérieure in Paris. In 1957, Aarnes beca ...
) * 1990 - Knight of the Order of St. Olav * 1996 - Inderøy Municipality Culture Prize * 2001 - Ingeborg og Per Palle Storms ærespris


Personal life

In 1959, Aas married painter and illustrator Tonje Strøm, whom he had met at the National Academy. The marriage lasted until 1978 and the couple had two sons. One of their sons, Atle Aas, is an architect and is married to professor Camilla Stoltenberg. In 1996, Aas married for a second time, this time to fellow craftsworker Christine Reintz. Aas died in 2004 at the age of 70.


Nils Aas Kunstverksted

The Nils Aas Kunstverksted (Art Workshop), located in Inderøy, now serves partly as a museum and retains a permanent collection of Aas' work. The building is designed by Aas himself. The most notable piece is a huge circular monument made in birch wood, situated in the centre of the museum. Many of the sculptor's busts of famous Norwegians are also on permanent display. In addition, the museum still features a workshop for art lessons. The facility opened in 1996 and is operated in association with the Stiklestad National Culture Centre. Nearby is a sculpture park, Muustrøparken. Nils Aas had donated eight sculptures to the park, including 6 small and 2 large sculptures.''Muustrøparken'' (Den Gyldne Omvei)


References


External links


Mint of Norway
present coins
Nils Aas Kunstverksted websiteDen Gyldne Omvei: Nils Aas Kunstverksted
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aas, Nils 1933 births 2004 deaths People from Inderøy 20th-century Norwegian sculptors Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal