Skule Waksvik: A natural sculptor from Norway

One of Norway’s most beloved sculpture artists, Skule Waksvik, uses natural motifs; animals and voluptuous women. Sculptures by Waksvik; a deer, a moose, a penguin or maybe one of his luscious ladies, may be found all over the country – and even abroad like in Bremen, Abidjan and Singapore. The statues are placed mostly in public areas within local communities, like street corners or business centers. Born in 1927, Waksvik made his debut as early as in 1948 and has even been awarded The Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav (the Norwegian equivalent of being knighted) for his work.
I have admired his art around the capital city of Oslo and even have a selection placed in our neighbourhood just 100 meters from our home. Today I had the privilege of meeting the artist himself while visiting an exhibition at Harald Kjeldaas Gallery. A very friendly, modest, down to earth man gave us a guided tour around and shared some of the ideas behind his work:

Waksvik, me & “Eva after the fall”

“Luscious bathing beauty” & to the left: “Showoffs” – right: “Family as a building set”

Left: “Shoo cat” – Right: The Fox family

In contact with nature:
In the 60s Waksvikv started collaborating with Selvaag (a major residential builder in Oslo area). Of about 400 sculptures that Selvaag invested in and placed out in his residential areas over the next 40 years , almost half were Waksvik’s work- He praises Selvaag for having made sculpture a part of everyday life:

When Waksvik so often depicts animals, it is because he “would like to contribute to modern urbanites maintaining contact with the nature we come from.” Bronze animals are to be seen in gardens and parks, on sidewalks and places all over the country – luckily one of these installations is in our neighbourhood – the photo above. Since my blog is about the significant four seasons, let me show you the same instalment in winter time:

Lady in red & at the wharf:
Two other rather famous sculpture of Waksvik is displayed at Aker Brygge on the Harbor of Oslo City. This area which was earlier a shipbuilding wharf is now a shopping and entertainment center on the lovely fjord. I have taken photos of this sculpture many times; one of them some days ago – the other in fact, is among my most viewed photos on Flick’r.

Left: “Summer Lady” – Right: “Lady at the wharf”

It was a pleasure to meet this artist himself and get an idea of what kind of person he is, the thoughts behind his work, how he works and the variety of his art. Since these statues are placed right in our own back yard I feel a personal connection to his work, and the themes also fall into my personal taste, enjoying both women in their natural forms, and the nature all around us. This was a magic moment for me and I hope you get an impression of this talented artist from my post.