After combating frequent waves of political fighting, Oslo’s city council has declared it will continue its plans to build a new high-rise museum located in Bjorvika dedicated to the famous painter, Edward Munch. This museum was intended to open this spring, however, will now not open till fall 2020. The specific date is yet to be announced.
The New Munch Museum, also referred to as the Lambda, will be constructed with costs estimated to go up to $314 million.
The project has suffered from uncertainty and delays for several years. In recent years, city officials have raised concerns over the problem of a bordering project located on the eastern waterfront, a new city library. The costs of the library have significantly exceeded the budget due to leakage issues. Both projects went through cost assessments and were approved afterwards.
Within the new museum building, visitors will be able to visit 11 exhibition halls divided among 7 floors and explore many of Edvard Munch’s work which he bequeathed to the city of Oslo.
This exhibition consists of 28,000 items, which include paintings, sketches, sculptures, photographs and notebooks. At any given time, over 400 of Munch’s works will be displayed in the new museum. The new museum’s collections will also comprise of 45,000 works of art and objects that have been transferred from the old to the new museum building. Specifically, the 13-floor venue will bring many of the 1,100 paintings and 6,800 paintings owned by the museum into sight for the first time.
Here, travellers from all over the world will enjoy the famous painter’s notable works including, “Madonna”, “The Scream”, and “Girls on the Bridge”.
Munch’s art is being shown in four permanent exhibitions, while temporary exhibitions will display works of renowned Norwegian and international artists, as well as, innovative contemporary artists.
Furthermore, you can attend literature readings, concerts and other cultural events or bring together friends and family to enjoy a wonderful meal for the spectacular view offered by the 13th floor. The museum also houses activities such as painting workshops where adults and children can produce inspirational art experiences.
The museum building, Lambda, is pitched as a 12-storey building that rises on a 3-story base. With its 13 floors, the building is 58 meters tall. The vertical structure will house exhibition areas, workshops, storage and offices.
Building materials used to construct the museum, in particular concrete and steel, are environmentally friendly and can be recycled. The museum is one of the 50 role models in the Future Built program, which is Oslo region’s prestigious program that consists of buildings of high architectural quality with a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in energy use, transports and material use compared to similar buildings.
The building will be remarkable in several ways, and the foundation stone is no exception. It comprises of a small casket with objects belonging from different cities where Munch lived throughout his lifetime. The casket will eventually be walled into the museum’s foyer.
