Dyre Vaa
14.11.53 – 29.11.53
Kunstnernes Hus had another exhibition of Dyre Vaa (1903-1980) in 1953, on the occasion of his 50th birthday. He is best known for his sculptures, but this exhibition also contained over 100 paintings. Of the sculptures there were many busts, drafts of statues, small groups, small figures, statues and large groups.
The sculptor and painter is from Telemark in Norway. He was a student at the Norwegian art academy. The national gallery purchased one of his sculptures early on in his career. Since then his production sky rocketed. He also had a talent for painting and writing about art.
Catalog text
Dyre Vaa is, as his name suggests, telemarking, real old farming family. His environment is everything we sense with the best of Norwegian peasant culture, architectural art, rose painting, fiddle music, folk songs and all kinds of magnificent craftsmanship. For Dyre Vaa, this is a matter of course that he hardly even thinks about.
When he started his artistic career as a student at the Art Academy, he immediately hit upon his line, large projects for monuments with many figures. When he exhibited, he was immediately purchased by the National Gallery. From now on, it was blow after blow. First and second prizes in competitions. One sculpture after another was cast and erected in public places in numbers like no other of the younger generation. Here in the city, we have the wolves at Ila, Ankerbrua, Holberg and the Swan Fountain at the Town Hall.
But the sculpture could not express everything that Dyre Vaa had in mind. Then with the brush and the drawing materials. There were major exhibitions in Kunstnernes Hus and Kunstnerforbundet and many other places. - Why not write art books? He has a large storehouse of knowledge about art, a large library - nice to be able to say what you think in print as well. Yes, Rolf Lunde was written about and many articles were published in the journals.
He has a unique energy and, as you can understand, has a very large production. There is always a sensation about his name. That Dyre Vaa encounters resistance is fine. Jury people and critics sometimes put the brakes on his rush. These unpleasant people think and mean both this and that. The future will determine his status.
Now you come back to Kunstnernes Hus. Welcome you shall be. We meet you with excitement and interest. Good luck!
Dagfin Werenskiold.
Dyre Vaa was born in Kviteseid on 19 January 1903. Student of the Norwegian Academy of Fine Arts 1922-23. Debuted at the Statens Art Exhibition 1923. Solo exhibitions at Kunstnernes Hus 1933 and 1941, Kunstnerforbundet 1942 and 1947. Represented in the National Gallery with three works, as well as in Trondhjem's Permanent Gallery and Gothenburg's Art Museum. Has e.g. a. carried out The wolves at the Ila complex in Oslo 1930, the decoration of the Ankerbrua 1937, the Holberg monument in Oslo 1938, works at the Nidaros Cathedral, the Sailors' Monument in Bergen 1951, the Swan Group, City Hall, Oslo.
