"Art needs its institutions, and among Norway’s exhibition spaces, Kunstnernes Hus holds a unique position. A pioneering response to the young nation’s desire for broad public participation and initiatives that could strengthen its national identity, the new building—designed by the influential architects Gudolf Blakstad and Herman Munthe-Kaas—was completed in 1930.

Since then, Kunstnernes Hus has played an invaluable role in the development of Norwegian art. The ceiling paintings by Per Krohg are themselves a masterpiece. Its connection to the international art scene, and the influence of artists from abroad, including Picasso and van Gogh, helped establish Norway as a cultural nation on the world stage. It would be a failure not to preserve this important cultural institution for the future—not only as a significant work of architecture, but above all as an active venue for contemporary art."

"Kunstnernes Hus is one of the most prestigious places for an artist to exhibit. The architecture is in a class of its own - and the historical program testifies to an institution that has always been in step with its time - and its artists."

"In 2030, Kunstnernes Hus turns 100 years old. We should celebrate that anniversary in a house that is equipped for the next hundred years. The rehabilitation is not a cost – it is a gift to future generations of artists and art lovers. We cannot afford to let it decay!"

"Kunstnernes Hus has for nearly a hundred years been the country's most important meeting place for artists and for those who love art and architecture. Generations of children, including ours, have climbed the lions. Now the artists need help to take care of this unique architectural gem."

"I am very much an admirer of Kunstnernes Hus. The more I hear about it I think it's probably an institution unlike any other institution I have worked in during my long life. And I've never heard of any similar institution in the world that was created by the artists themselves."