My husband and I were leisurely making our way by foot from the food hall Mathallen to the center of town to take the metro back home. I wasn’t very familiar with this part of Oslo. Suddenly, we found ourselves in the area pictured above. I didn’t know anything about it but thought the view worthy of a picture before moving on.
Once back in the States several weeks later and catching up on back issues of the Norwegian American Weekly newspaper, I suddenly saw a photo of the mural we’d seen on our walk. I quickly searched through my photos from the summer to look more closely at it.
The article was about the Norwegian artist Carl Nesjar who as it turns out had created the mural in 1970 based on a design by Pablo Picasso. Nesjar had passed away at the age of 94 on May 23, 2015. The mural is called “Fiskerne” (The Fishermen) and is on a government building known as the Y Block. (The church to the left is Trefoldighetskirken, or The Trinity Church, consecrated in 1858.) And now I understand why the street was blocked off and I could cross it so easily to take my picture—it was the government quarter targeted in the July 22, 2011, bombings. The Y Block along with the H Block next to it sustained heavy damage in the bombing.
As I learned from the Norwegian American Weekly July 3 article, Nesjar “was for many years Picasso’s chosen fabricator, the artist who took the master’s drawings and models and gave them physical form as immense public sculptures.” Nesjar and Picasso began working together in the 1950s and continued until Picasso’s death in 1973. Their collaboration resulted in many sculptures and building decorations around the world: Norway, Sweden, France, Spain, Israel, The Netherlands, and various university campuses in the USA (Princeton, MIT, and NYU).
There is another Picasso-designed, Nesjar-created mural called “Måken” (The Seagull) in the reception area of the Y Block. Sadly, the future of these Picasso/Nesjar murals is uncertain. There are discussions to demolish the building as part of a redevelopment plan for the government quarter. The murals would be secured and preserved, but there were no plans for them beyond that. There is public debate about the issue so we’ll see what eventually happens.
I wish I knew all this when we passed through the area this summer. I would have spent a little more time looking at the mural and taking it all in. I’m very grateful for coming across the article in the Norwegian American Weekly and having the chance to research Nesjar a little bit more. Now I have a much greater appreciation for that area for the next time we pass through.
School and extra-curricular activities are back for many of us, but if you’re an Angeleno still yearning for far away places and find yourself with some weekend time to spare, there’s plenty of opportunities this month to visit and explore other cultures without traveling too far. Events and activities taking you to China, Japan, Africa, Greece, Thailand, and Norway are on the calendar. Check it out and see what your family might enjoy. I welcome news of events that I missed. Please share them in the comments.
77th Annual Moon Festival
Vista Viking Festival
Baja Splash Cultural Festival
Lars Mytting’s Svøm med dem som drukner was my Norwegian read this year in anticipation of my yearly trip to Norway. I had not heard of the book, nor the author, until I received it from my parents for my birthday. It came highly recommended from friends of theirs, and it had received the Norwegian Booksellers’ Prize for 2014. I started reading it without any ideas of what it was about.
Summertime is here! There is no school nor school homework, and maybe weekend activity schedules are less demanding. You may have time to drive just a little farther than you normally would want to. Make time this summer to explore Los Angeles and discover the richness of where we live. Many regular cultural programs take a break this time of year, but there are also many programs that are unique to summer. Take a look and see if something appeals to your family, and let me know what catches your eye.
Dead Sea Scrolls: The Exhibition
This month you have five full weekends to explore the richness of Los Angeles. And if you’re Norwegian, it’s an even more special month since we celebrate Norway’s Constitution Day on May 17. What areas of the world will you explore? Mexico, Greece, Africa, China, Israel, Scotland, India, France, or Norway? Or you can mix it up at an international children’s film festival. Seize the opportunity to try something new this month!
Once again it’s time to think about what parts of the world you’d like to explore all while staying close to home. The Scandinavian Festival is always on my calendar for April. I’ve been with my family several times. This year, however, the boys will be busy with sports that weekend. Therefore, I will be heading out to the festival alone on the Sunday of the festival to volunteer at an entrance gate. I’m looking forward to this new way of experiencing the event, and maybe I’ll even see some familiar faces come through. Scroll down to Weekend of April 18 & 19 to read more about the Scandinavian Festival. I hope you’ll consider coming!
A hike to the Hollywood Sign has been on my California bucket list for a long time. About two years ago, our family attempted, but 
Are you ready for another culture challenge? If you live in Los Angeles, you can “visit” and learn about the cultures of Ireland, Colombia, China, Israel, England, Italy, Iran, and Mexico this month. Will you attend an art workshop, a festival, a musical performance, or visit a museum? So many choices, so little time. I would love to hear in the comments what you and your family would like to do. Have you already attended something in the past? I’d love to hear how you liked it.
Andell Family Sundays—Art of Ancient Colombia
