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Interview with Q: Could you tell us a little about yourself, and why you are Once more, art must be kept alive. Why didn’t I come in
here the first time I wanted to see this painting? Perhaps
interested in Henrik Sørensen?
Svein Olav Hoff I am a Norwegian art historian and have a master’s degree the way I approached the United Nations, orally and very
in Henrik Sørensen’s works, and I even wrote my doctorate
colloquially, made them close all doors. One could say I was
dissertation on him. He has fascinated me my whole my life,
not exactly welcome. That I am currently speaking here is
not only as a painter, but also as a person and not least for
his social commitment. Sørensen said that an artist really great, but it could have been other Norwegians representing
the establishment, the director of the National Museum for
Norway’s most renowned art historian belongs to a country’s elite and a country’s superstructure, instance. There have been many who could have talked about
thus it is not just a right but a duty to be engaged and to have the 1930s and put this into the proper context for example.
and specialist of the Norwegian painter Henrik Sørensen social commitments. When I was writing the master’s degree
dissertation, back in 1982, it was the centenary of Sørensen’s The arts must be kept alive. Things are often forgotten,
birth. At that time, there were two camps in Norway. One and Norwegian politicians should have done international
said that this was the country’s most amazing painter, and promotion to a much greater extent, to make Norwegian
the other side, on the contrary, said that this person had culture and art known abroad.
terrorized Norwegian spiritual and artistic life for 50 years.
According to the latter, Sørensen had stood in the way of Q: How is it being an artist in Norway?
women and modernist development. I think it was expressed Myself, I am not an artist, but an art critic. The artists are
very dualistically, and therefore I wanted to conciliate the complaining, but I would say that they have relatively good
two. I had studied history and social anthropology and was conditions in comparison to artists in many other countries.
about to really become a public affairs specialist. Instead, I The authorities have many special arrangements for artists
became an art historian, specialized in Henrik Sørensen and public exhibit schemes etc.
and in particular his social commitment, and not just the
painter. Q: Do you think that this event will make Norwegian art more
visible or that the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will
Q: Why has Norway never been keen on making this painting be more willing to support Norwegian art?
known? I hope that it will generate better understanding about it
This is due in particular to two things. First, there was a all. One must put this in context and not least in a cultural
person named Adolf Hitler. Before the war, Sørensen assisted policy context. The Norwegian Foreign Minister reaches out
in the setting up of two peace organizations – the Norwegian directly to Norwegian painters. Then there is no competition,
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom and no committees, no management. Do you want to do that?
People Rise against War. Those organizations both existed in OK. Then you get so much to do it. However, as I have said,
the pre-war period, and then the war arrived with the Nazis. past artwork has to be kept current, alive.
After 1945, talking about peace suffered from a loss of both
interest and impetus for a while. The Germans were beaten, Q: How do you keep artistic works “alive”?
so, the country was to be rebuilt and rid of the traitors. That Well, you could, for instance, organize exhibitions; organize
The Dream of Peace: was the attitude. Therefore, I think that is one of the reasons lectures to talk about it. Contrast it, put it in context, compare
Photo’s: UN library been clever at organizing events, so it is thanks to Torild Lie, or Bjelland, Ibsen etc. Things must be kept alike.
this painting was forgotten.
with modern art – it must not just be a picture behind a
an Artist’s Vision Norwegian authorities and Norwegian politicians have never curtain. Just like Norwegian writers. You are talking about
classics in Norway; my kids have not read the author Jonas

Skaar who made it possible for us to come here today. I

have organized a large exhibition, The Parisians, dedicated
to the Norwegian artists Krogh, Sørensen and Helberg at
No, not any longer, I have just stepped down as the chief
director. Now, I am just a special adviser and will organize
the Lillehammer Art Museum where I work. It is said that Q: You are the director of a museum.
Who has not seen the huge painting in the United Nations Library’s great hall? It has been there since these artists traveled home from Paris in 1920s – I tend to exhibitions for the rest of my life. I have just set up an
1938, and was completely finished in 1939. Most people do not even know that it was a Norwegian painter, say that they travelled home to Norway to national fame and exhibition called Pariserene, which is an exhibition about the
Henrik Sørensen who painted “The Dream of Peace”. international forgetting. central Norwegian artists living in Paris from the 1920s up to
the war. I mostly organize historical exhibitions.
st
On September the 21 , the United Nations Library and the Norwegian Mission in Geneva organized a The thing is that an artist and artwork must be kept alive and Q: What will the next exhibition be?
must be sold and exhibited internationally. The Norwegian
Library Talk, where Norway’s best known expert and art-critic came to talk to us about the painter, about his museum directors and the politicians have not been good at I have started to look at another forgotten painter and will
social commitment and not the least about the painting itself. It was indeed a very interesting moment, and, promoting Norwegian art abroad. It has been the role of the organize an exhibition about him, Bernard Folkestad, who
although it may sound incredible, it was only a few days earlier that Mr. Hoff had seen the masterpiece for the Norwegian ambassadors, and often, they have had a pot full came from Horten. He died in 1933. Then I’ll continue with
first time! He had approached the United Nations in Geneva several times in the mid-1980s to get a chance of money. Some have spent it on wine while others have used contemporary art. I am also specialized in this area.
it for visual art. Yet, there has been no specific focus on the
to see and study the painting, but all in vain. For more than one hour, this inspiring man told the audience visual arts. Lately, over the past years, they have been better Editor’s note:
about Sørensen, the painting and Sørensen’s career. We had a chance to meet with Hoff briefly, to know a little in literature and music, but there has been nothing special for Svein Olav Hoff has published many books and articles
bit more about the man who had caught our total attention for more than one hour. the pictorial artists. on Norwegian modern and contemporary art. MF

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