Southeast of the city centre, on the forested hillside of Ekeberg, lies one of Oslo's more unusual attractions: a sculpture park that managed to offend almost everyone before it even opened. The park was initiated and financed by Christian Ringnes, one of Norway's wealthiest businessmen, who invested 300 million kroner of his own money: 100 million for the sculptures, 100 million for a maintenance fund, and 100 million for infrastructure like viewpoints, paths and a water feature.
Ringnes announced that the park would have a feminine theme, a collection "in honour of the woman." This did not go down well. Feminists accused him of male chauvinism, arguing that a rich man deciding to celebrate women through art chosen entirely by himself was patronising at best. Environmental groups protested the felling of trees to make room for the installations. Others objected on principle to a private collector occupying public parkland with his personal collection, calling it a vanity project dressed up as philanthropy. Some went further and accused the city of corruption, claiming that money had been allowed to override democratic decisions about public space.
The park opened on 26 September 2013, and once people actually saw it, much of the anger faded. The wooded setting is genuinely beautiful, spread across roughly 25 hectares. There are currently around 40 sculptures and installations by internationally recognised artists like Louise Bourgeois, Salvador Dalí, Auguste Renoir, Jenny Holzer and Sarah Lucas. Most works do reference the feminine in some way, though the interpretation is broad enough to avoid feeling like a single-note theme park.
The park also has historical layers beyond the art. There are remains of a German war cemetery from the Second World War; the graves were relocated in the 1950s, but some traces remain. At the entrance stands Ekebergrestauranten, a restaurant with one of the best views over Oslo and the fjord. The park is open around the clock, free to enter, and can be reached by taking tram 13 or 19 to the stop Ekebergparken.
Ringnes announced that the park would have a feminine theme, a collection "in honour of the woman." This did not go down well. Feminists accused him of male chauvinism, arguing that a rich man deciding to celebrate women through art chosen entirely by himself was patronising at best. Environmental groups protested the felling of trees to make room for the installations. Others objected on principle to a private collector occupying public parkland with his personal collection, calling it a vanity project dressed up as philanthropy. Some went further and accused the city of corruption, claiming that money had been allowed to override democratic decisions about public space.
The park opened on 26 September 2013, and once people actually saw it, much of the anger faded. The wooded setting is genuinely beautiful, spread across roughly 25 hectares. There are currently around 40 sculptures and installations by internationally recognised artists like Louise Bourgeois, Salvador Dalí, Auguste Renoir, Jenny Holzer and Sarah Lucas. Most works do reference the feminine in some way, though the interpretation is broad enough to avoid feeling like a single-note theme park.
The park also has historical layers beyond the art. There are remains of a German war cemetery from the Second World War; the graves were relocated in the 1950s, but some traces remain. At the entrance stands Ekebergrestauranten, a restaurant with one of the best views over Oslo and the fjord. The park is open around the clock, free to enter, and can be reached by taking tram 13 or 19 to the stop Ekebergparken.