Terje Brofos (2 May 1940 – 24 April 2018), better known by stage name Hariton Pushwagner, 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 ...

Pop artist.

Early life and education

Born as Terje Brofos during a bomb attack in May 1940, he grew in

Berg Berg may refer to: People *Berg (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Berg Ng (born 1960), Hong Kong actor * Berg (footballer) (born 1989), Brazilian footballer Former states * Berg (state), county and duchy of the Hol ...

, a neighborhood in the North End of Oslo. In 1944, he was severely injured in a traffic accident. His father Fritjof was an engineer who struggled with alcohol. His mother Elsa worked as a biochemist and would eventually leave her husband.Petter Mejlænder (2 May 2010
Fenomenet Pushwagner
''Aftenposten'' During his youth, he excelled in both summer and winter sports. He became one of Norway's best tennis players and in 1955 played in a doubles final for the Norwegian championship with Arne Melander, a match which the duo lost. Pushwagner finished his education at the State's School of Art and Design of Oslo in 1959. He stated that he quit drawing for a period after his studies and that he struggled for several years to find his personal style.

Career

Pushwagner described himself as a spiritual student of Norwegian author

Axel Jensen Axel Buchardt Jensen (12 February 1932 – 13 February 2003) was a Norwegian author. From 1957 until 2002, he published both fiction and non-fiction texts which include novels, poems, essays, a biography, and manuscripts for cartoons and animated ...

, whom he met at

Kunstnernes Hus Kunstnernes Hus (Norwegian for "Artists' House") is an art gallery in Oslo, Norway. It is Norway's largest gallery under the direction of artists, and has served as a major center for exhibits of Norwegian and international contemporary art. It i ...

in 1968. Pushwagner and Jensen lived together for a time, partly in an apartment 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 ...

, Norway and partly in

Fredrikstad Fredrikstad (; previously ''Frederiksstad''; literally "Fredrik's Town") is a List of cities in Norway, city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Viken (county), Viken Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the ...

, Norway; Stockholm, Sweden and

Menorca Menorca or Minorca (from la, Insula Minor, , smaller island, later ''Minorica'') is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Majorca. Its capi ...

, Spain. Pushwagner illustrated Jensen's book ''Og resten står skrivd i stjernene/And the Rest is Writ(ten) in the Stars'' (1995). Fascinated by comics since childhood, Pushwagner was inspired to start the series "Soft City" and "Doktor Fantastisk" during this period. Pushwagner won back the rights to his drawings from Morten Dreyer in 2009. In July 2012, London-based publisher Art / Books published an extensive monograph on his work to coincide with an exhibition at MK Gallery in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom that subsequently toured to Haugar Vestfold Kunstmuseum in Norway and Museum Boijmans van Beuningen in the Netherlands.

Personal life and death

Pushwagner was twice divorced and had two daughters. He was diagnosed with lung cancer and died at Diakonhjemmet Hospital on 24 April 2018.Anniken Aronsen (24 April 2018
Pushwagner er død
''VG''. He was 77.

Education and further studies

*1958-61,

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). ...

, Norway *1963-66,

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" ...

, Norway *1970-80, Studies,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, UK and Stockholm, Sweden *1988-89, Studies,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, United States *1991-92,

Cité internationale des arts The Cité internationale des arts is an artist-in-residence building complex which accommodates artists of all specialities and nationalities in Paris. It comprises two sites, one located in the Marais and the other in Montmartre. Approximatel ...

in Paris

Bibliography

References

External links

Pushwagner homepagePushwagner infopageAxel Jensen's Homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pushwagner, Hariton 1940 births 2018 deaths Pop artists Artists from Oslo Norwegian comics artists Norwegian illustrators Norwegian male tennis players 20th-century Norwegian people