Holl Embraces Controversy in Norway
Steven Holl stood on a small stage north of the Arctic Circle clad in a yellow linen suit. In front of him, an impressively deep and wide press pool. Behind him, the mostly complete, and wholly controversial, Knut Hamsun Centre—a queerly cut museum dedicated to a Nobel Prize–winning author-cum-Nazi sympathizer that had convinced every journalist in Norway to schlep up on a weekday to a remote village in Nordland County, where the summer sun never sets on the fjord. It was the museum’s hard-fought-for opening ceremony and the 150th anniversary of Hamsun’s birth. The architect grinned from ear to ear.
“I think controversy is excellent because that’s also what makes people think,” said Holl, whose flamboyant suit choice was inspired by Hamsun, who often evoked the color yellow in his spare, dark works. “I think Hamsun was all about that.”
Photo: Anna Zheleznaya/courtesy Nordland County Council
If the New York–based architect truly prizes controversy, he scored big with the Hamsun Centre. Debate over Holl’s design erupted in Norway when he first won the competition there way back in 1996. Some praised his concept of “building as a [human] body” and its references to traditional Norwegian design and the writings of Hamsun himself. Others said it looked like an outhouse and that the off-kilter tower had no right to jut up into the crisp air of the rural region Hamsun called home for much of his life.
Steven Holl at the museum’s opening earlier this month. Photo: Anna Zheleznaya/courtesy Nordland County Council
“This one is very important to me,” Holl said at the opening. “This is my first building that connects me back to my roots… My father is full blooded Norwegian… Finally, I’ve come back to Norway.” Photo: Ernst Furuhatt/courtesy Steven Holl Architects
Debate over Hamsun the man, and what to do with his mixed legacy, has raged for longer, even, than the museum debate, and a consequent lack of private funding and public money were responsible for the lengthy construction delay. On the one hand, Hamsun is one of the greatest writers Norway has ever produced—a sort of “guy behind the guy” in the literary canon whose tales of outsiders, vagabonds, and their environs influenced the likes of Kafka, Joyce, Henry Miller, and Isaac Bashevis Singer. Toward the end of his life, however, Hamsun supported—at least to a large extent—the Nazi party and spoke out repeatedly in favor of their government during Germany’s sometimes-brutal occupation of Norway during World War II. Critics cite the fairly damning evidence that Hamsun gifted his Nobel Prize to Joseph Goebbels and called Adolf Hitler, in a 1945 obit of the Fuhrer, “a warrior for mankind.” Supporters argue that he was a sickly octogenarian by the time of the occupation and that his work and his personal life deserve separate treatment.
A Holl watercolor of the Hamsun Centre. (Click to view a larger version.) Image: courtesy Steven Holl Architects
The opening of the museum comes as many of the remaining Norwegians who witnessed the Nazi occupation pass from the scene. “It’s very hard for Norway, what happened during the war,” said Johnny Johansen, a local writer and former member of the Norland County Arts Council. “For the old, especially, but even if you’re younger. You still consider it and it still leaves its mark.”
In some ways, the initial 1990s Hamsun Centre debate, the lengthy cooling off period, and the hasty rebirth and construction of the building over the last few years reflect the shifting mood of the country since the war. The formerly poor, occupied backwater is now a tidy socialist democracy with one of the strongest (North Sea Oil–backed) currencies in the world. Few, if any, lack the day-to-day necessities of life. Indeed, when asked an obvious question regarding the Hamsun Centre—Why use public money to construct a 27,000-square-foot $20 million-plus building dedicated to a controversial-as-hell writer in a village of 600 north of the Arctic Circle?—most Norwegians have no quick and easy answer.
Perhaps it is as Trome Giske, Norway’s minister of culture, speculated. “For Norway, Hamsun, aside from Ibsen, is probably the greatest international writer we ever published,” he said. “Why is the museum so big? Well, maybe because we could afford it.”
A construction photo of the new museum. Photo: Ernst Furuhatt/courtesy Steven Holl Architects
Related: Last year, Stephen Zacks wrote about an exhibition of Steven Holl watercolors at the MoMA; in 2007, Zacks visited Holl’s Nelson-Atkins Museum for “The Magic Lantern”.
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Wow, you really are quite the sensationalist. Hamsun is only moderately “controversial”.
I’m a Norwegian of Jewish stock and I have no qualms about this museum in any way. Why should I? This article is mostly rubbish.
Only the Israeli campaign against Norway lately has managed to bring up this rather uninteresting point. Lots of famous authors were prominent anti-Semites!
The museum displays Hamsun’s political views clearly for all to see, the man is dead - and he was convicted for treason after the war! The museum honors his works, not his views!
The occupation of Norway was *brutal* not just “sometimes”! My family barely survived. And the acts of our Resistance movement was punished by “collective punishment” against the civilian population! They shot 10 Norwegians for each German soldier! You can’t sit there and judge *without* any knowledge of the reality!
Comment by Andrew — August 18, 2009, @ 9:53 pm
In response to the ridiculous post by “Andrew”…
Clearly the author should have asked Andrew what he thought about the museum before writing this article. Seeing as Andrew is cool with the museum and thinks the museum is only “moderately” controversial, I guess even mentioning the controversy is “sensational”!!! Andrew is a very important dude who knows how to post to websites!
If you Google “Hamsun center controversy” you get 79,900 hits. WOW, did NONE of these authors ask Andrew what he thought? Andrew, buddy, better get busy writing angry posts on all those websites!!!
T.R.
Comment by T. R. (AZ) — August 19, 2009, @ 8:06 pm
Correction: Google “Hamsun centre controversy” (not “center”) to see all the articles written by people who did not know that Andrew, who is from Norway and therefore represents the entire country, has declared the museum acceptable!
Comment by T. R. (AZ) — August 19, 2009, @ 8:13 pm
ok. you don’t have to like the building to write about it, the point of view is interesting, but you should at least have your technical facts straight on the project. You were off on the budget by around 10 million…
Comment by Bruno — August 20, 2009, @ 12:37 pm
I guess I can see where people were going with the outhouse reference but all-in-all I think this is a pretty dope building. I like that yellowish porch you can see over Holl’s shoulder.
One thing I’d like to know though: how do you fill an entire museum with exhibits devoted to a writer? Maybe I’m just lacking imagination but all I can think of is pens and typewriters and reading spectacles in glass cases. Maybe a writing desk?
Just queued up some Hamsun on Amazon. Hadn’t ever heard of the guy. Intrigued.
Comment by Jake — August 20, 2009, @ 1:25 pm
Tim Moran replies:
Hello all,
I’m happy this article has gotten attention and appreciate all of the points of view shared in the “comments” section. It seems to me an article about Steve Holl’s Hamsun project wouldn’t be complete without healthy debate post facto.
I would like to address Bruno’s comments regarding the project’s price tag (Comment #4). Many press affiliates reported the cost as 130 million NOK. The actual number was 142 million NOK*. These numbers translate to $21.7 and $23.7 million respectively. I put the project cost at “$20 million-plus” because, in the end, this microdebate seemed inconsequential given the larger task of introducing readers to the project and the oft-overlooked, brillant and flawed writer that inspired it.
Bruno also insinuates I did not like the museum. Here, I should have been clearer. I think Holl hit it out of the park. I’ve read several Hamsun novels and Holl’s architectural nods to the work seem to me spot on. Apologies to Bruno and to Steve Holl if I implied I was not a fan.
Best,
Tim
p.s. Jake, I’m eager to see the place when the curators are done with it too!
* I have an exhaustive breakdown of the numbers on audiotape.
Comment by Tim — August 24, 2009, @ 11:07 am
hi-
I’m glad you responded. I didn’t mean to insinuate that you didn’t like the building, my apologies for the mis-communication, I meant that more regarding the comments that were initially made- but at the same rate, I didn’t feel that you touched on the architecture all that much in your writing, but much more about the controversy- which is valid of course, but I would have liked to hear more about your opinion on the architecture itself.
As for the cost issue, that is really interesting, because I know first hand from Steven Holl Arch. that the cost was 11 million. Either way, I genuinely appreciate your response-
Comment by Bruno — August 24, 2009, @ 6:15 pm
Concerning the cost issue; The official numbers released from the Department of Culture is, as pointed out by Tim Moran, 142 million NOK.
However, these numbers may differ from the numbers from Steven Holl Arch., since there will be peripheral costs for the County and the State that are linked to the the process and not necessarely or strictly to the constuction cost.
Whether or not Hamsun is controversial or “only moderately controversial” is probably of lesser importance. However, the tone and temperature in the first comment from Andrew, may be a hint to those who wonder.
Comment by Johnny, Norway — August 25, 2009, @ 11:36 pm
Sweden rules, Norway drools!
Gar Sverige!
Comment by Kirk — September 3, 2009, @ 5:02 pm