Wilhelm Rasmussen (15 June 1879 – 6 December 1965) was a Norwegian sculptor. Wilhelm Robert Rasmussen was born in

Skien Skien () is a city and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county in Norway. In modern times it is regarded as part of the traditional region of Grenland, although historically it belonged to Grenmar/Skiensfjorden, while Grenland referred the Norsj ...

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 ...

county, Norway. He studied under Norwegian sculptors Brynjulf Bergslien and

Lars Utne Lars is a common male name in Scandinavian countries. Origin ''Lars'' means "from the city of Laurentum". Lars is derived from the Latin name Laurentius, which means "from Laurentum" or "crowned with laurel". A homonymous Etruscan name was bo ...

(1862–1922), and later trained at the Drawing Academy 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 ...

from 1895 to 1900, then a short time in Paris in 1902 and in Italy in 1906. From 1921 to 1945 he was professor of sculptor 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 ...

and had among others,

Ørnulf Bast Ørnulf Bast (25 January 1907 – 28 October 1974) was a Norwegian sculptor and painter particularly known for his public monuments. Background Ørnulf Bjarne Bast was born in Oslo. His parents were Halsten Andersen Bast Birklund (1870–19 ...

as a student. His most extensive work was the 34-meter high column originally titled ''Eidsvollsøylen'', which in 1925 had won the competition sponsored by the

Parliament of Norway The Storting ( no, Stortinget ) (lit. the Great Thing) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years bas ...

for a monument on

Eidsvolls plass Eidsvolls plass ("Eidsvoll Square") is a square and park in Oslo, Norway, located west of the Parliament of Norway Building, south of Karl Johans gate and east of Studenterlunden and the National Theatre. It has been referred to as "the National ...

in front of the Parliament building in memory of the

Norwegian Constitution nb, Kongeriket Norges Grunnlov nn, Kongeriket Noregs Grunnlov , jurisdiction = Kingdom of Norway , date_created =10 April - 16 May 1814 , date_ratified =16 May 1814 , system =Constitutional monarchy , ...

. Following a very controversial history, the 34-meter tall was re-titled Saga column (''Sagasøyla'') and was finally erected in the Bøverdalen valley in Lom municipality in the County of

Oppland Oppland is a former county in Norway which existed from 1781 until its dissolution on 1 January 2020. The old Oppland county bordered the counties of Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. The co ...

during 1992. Among his other works are busts of Norwegian architect Magnus Poulsson and of Norwegian poet

Olav Aukrust Olav Aukrust (21 January 1883 – 3 November 1929) was a Norwegian poet and teacher. He popularized the use of Nynorsk as a literary language and is most commonly associated with his poem ''Himmelvarden'' (1916). Biography Aukrust was born in ...

at the

National Gallery of Norway The National Gallery ( no, Nasjonalgalleriet) is a gallery in Oslo, Norway. Since 2003 it is administratively a part of the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design. , the admission cost is 100 Norwegian kroner. History It was establishe ...

. Between 1920 and 1922, he designed twelve

caryatid A caryatid ( or or ; grc, Καρυᾶτις, pl. ) is a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar supporting an entablature on her head. The Greek term ''karyatides'' literally means "ma ...

in Larvikite for installation at the Tønsberg Navigation School (''Sjømannsskolen i Tønsberg''). The award-winning building now houses the Haugar Vestfold Art Museum (''Haugar Vestfold Kunstmuseum'') at

Tønsberg Tønsberg , historically Tunsberg, is a city and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, eastern Norway, located around south-southwest of Oslo on the western coast of the Oslofjord near its mouth onto the Skagerrak. The administrative ce ...

Vestfold Vestfold is a traditional region, a former county and a current electoral district in Eastern Norway. In 2020 the county became part of the much larger county of Vestfold og Telemark. Located on the western shore of the Oslofjord, it bordered th ...

Membership of political party

He became a member of

Nasjonal Samling Nasjonal Samling (, NS; ) was a Norwegian far-right political party active from 1933 to 1945. It was the only legal party of Norway from 1942 to 1945. It was founded by former minister of defence Vidkun Quisling and a group of supporters such a ...

in 1933, and "was an active member of the party". "Han meldte seg inn i Nasjonal Samling i 1933, og var et aktivt medlem av partiet."

References

External links

''Sagasøyla''
1879 births 1965 deaths Norwegian sculptors People from Skien Members of Nasjonal Samling People convicted of treason for Nazi Germany against Norway 20th-century sculptors {{norway-artist-stub