Victor Sparre (né Smith; 4 November 1919 – 16 March 2008) was a Norwegian painter, glass designer and non-fiction writer.

Personal life

Sparre was born in

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 ...

as the son of librarian Victor Alf Smith and Eli Sparre. He was married to nurse Aase Marie Thomassen from 1955.

Career

Sparre 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 ...

from 1936. He became a member of the

Oxford Group The Oxford Group was a Christian organization (first known as ''First Century Christian Fellowship'') founded by the American Lutheran minister Frank Buchman in 1921. Buchman believed that fear and selfishness were the root of all problems. Fur ...

. In 1938 he enrolled at the

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" ...

, and assisted

Axel Revold Axel Revold (24 December 1887 – 11 April 1962) was a Norwegian painter, illustrator, and art professor at the Norwegian National Academy of Fine Arts for twenty years. He was highly decorated for his merits. Personal life Revold was born in ...

making decorations for the

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 ...

. During the

occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany 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 ...

he took part in resistance work and joined the underground art academy led by

and Jean Heiberg, and later also joined the military resistance organization

Milorg Milorg (abbreviation of militær organisasjon – military organization) was the main Norwegian resistance movement during World War II. Resistance work included intelligence gathering, sabotage, supply-missions, raids, espionage, transport of ...

. He has decorated 25 churches, including the

Stavanger Cathedral Stavanger Cathedral ( no, Stavanger domkirke) is Norway's oldest cathedral and the seat of the Bishop of Stavanger who leads the Diocese of Stavanger in the Church of Norway. It is located in the centre of the city of Stavanger which lies in the ...

, the

Arctic Cathedral Tromsdalen Church or the Arctic Cathedral ( no, Tromsdalen kirke, Ishavskatedralen) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Tromsø Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located in the Tromsdalen valley on the east side ...

(Tromsdalen Church), Jeløy Church and Immanuel Church. Among his paintings are ''Altergang'' and ''Svøpet'' from 1942, ''Individets død'' from 1969, ''Cellistens kone'' from 1974, and ''Veronicas svededuk'' from 1977. He published the book ''Stenene skal rope'' in 1974, and ''The flame in the darkness'' in 1980, and participated in debates on human rights. He 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 2003.

References

1919 births 2008 deaths Artists from Bærum 20th-century Norwegian painters Norwegian male painters 21st-century Norwegian painters Norwegian non-fiction writers Norwegian resistance members 20th-century Norwegian male artists 21st-century Norwegian male artists {{norway-painter-stub