The Queen Sonja Art Stable (

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 the ...

:'' Dronning Sonja KunstStall'') is a museum, art gallery and concert hall located in the former stables of the

Royal Palace This is a list of royal palaces, sorted by continent. Africa * Abdin Palace, Cairo * Al-Gawhara Palace, Cairo * Koubbeh Palace, Cairo * Tahra Palace, Cairo * Menelik Palace * Jubilee Palace * Guenete Leul Palace * Imperial Palace- Massa ...

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 ...

History

The stable building, located close to the palace park, was constructed simultaneously as the

and was completed in 1849. Originally, the stables could house 38 horses, but the compound was considerably expanded and improved during the reign 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 ...

, and his equestrian wife Queen Maud. Between 1905 and 1911, the stables were built into an equestrian facility with a

riding hall A riding hall, indoor arena, indoor school (UK English), or indoor ring (US English) is a building (part of an equestrian facility) that is specially designed for indoor horse riding. Smaller, private buildings contain only space for riding, whi ...

, blacksmith and a veterinary area. Architect

Hjalmar Welhaven Hjalmar Welhaven (26 December 1850 – 18 April 1922) was a Norwegian architect, palace manager, and sportsman. Biography Personal life Welhaven was born in Christiania (now Oslo), Norway. He was the son of writer Johan Sebastian Welhaven ...

led the expansion project while Queen Maud took the initiative to model the improved stable hall after the

Royal Mews The Royal Mews is a mews, or collection of equestrian stables, of the British Royal Family. In London these stables and stable-hands' quarters have occupied two main sites in turn, being located at first on the north side of Charing Cross, an ...

in London.

Renovations and current use

Horses have not been kept in the stables since 1940 and after the end of the

German occupation of Norway The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until the ...

during the Second World War the building was mostly used as a storage facility and garage. King Harald decided to renovate the building as a present to his wife

Queen Sonja Sonja (born Sonja Haraldsen on 4 July 1937) is Queen of Norway since 17 January 1991 as the wife of King Harald V. Sonja and the then Crown Prince Harald had dated for nine years prior to their marriage in 1968. They had kept their relations ...

on her 80th birthday celebration in 2017. The renovations were made with the combined efforts of

Statsbygg The Norwegian Directorate of Public Construction and Property ( no, Statsbygg) is a Norwegian government agency that manages central parts of the real estate portfolio of the Government of Norway. Operation The Norwegian Directorate of Public Co ...

, Riksantikvatren and

Snøhetta Snøhetta is the highest mountain in the Dovrefjell mountain range in Norway. At , it is the highest mountain in Norway outside the Jotunheimen range, making it the 24th highest peak in Norway, based on a topographic prominence cutoff. At , it ...

. The Art Stable will be open from March through December each year and function as a venue for exhibitions of art well as presentations on historical and cultural items from the ''Norwegian Royal Collections''.

Exhibitions. 2017-

* "Opening exhibition" an extensive collection of graphic prints gifted by Norwegian artists. * “The Royal Stable. Horses and their equipage 1905–1940.” * "Sculpture", an exhibition by Kjell Erik Killi Olsen. * "Tone Vigeland: Jewelry and Sculpture" * "Tradition and Inspiration". An exhibition of Norwegian folk art and

folk costumes A folk costume (also regional costume, national costume, traditional garment, or traditional regalia) expresses an identity through costume, which is usually associated with a geographic area or a period of time in history. It can also indicat ...

, including pieces owned by members of the

Royal Family A royal family is the immediate family of kings/queens, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or raja/ rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term ...

. * "History". An exhibition of three generations of

Sami Acronyms * SAMI, ''Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange'', a closed-captioning format developed by Microsoft * Saudi Arabian Military Industries, a government-owned defence company * South African Malaria Initiative, a virtual expertise net ...

artists: Iver Jök, Synnøve Persen, and Britta Markatt-Labba. * "The Dream of Norway: King Haakon and Queen Maud in the Royal Collections".

References

External links

The Queen Sonja Art StableThe Queen Sonja Art Stable
visitoslo.com {{coord, 59.9163, 10.7235, region:NO-30, display=title Museums in Oslo 1849 establishments in Norway Houses completed in 1849 The Royal Palace History of Oslo Buildings and structures in Oslo

History

Renovations and current use

Exhibitions. 2017-

See also

References

External links