A new National Museum in the Norwegian capital Oslo, which is the largest cultural building being built in Europe at present, is now under construction.
The museum’s director Audun Eckhoff said they hope that Norwegians will be able to identify with and feel proud of it in the same way they did with the opera.
The National Museum, which is located beside the Nobel Peace Prize Center where the former Vestbanen station stood, will fill the lot of a whole block and will be the capital’s largest signature building. At 54,000 square metres, it will also be one of Europe’s largest museums.
Eckhoff explained that despite its size, it will be “surprisingly humble”, noting that it will stand out but be “subdued and in harmony with the environment”.
The museum required a big area of land to be built on because it will be housing three art houses: the Museum of Contemporary Art; the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design; and the National Gallery.
Eckhoff said another advantage of the modern museum will be that they can display art in various ways such as by using digital tools. He explained that every museum has its original arts, and the National Museum will not take the “pure, contemplative experience of art away”, but technology offers more options and will help add to the experience.