The Museum of Contemporary Art
The Museum of Contemporary Art closed 3 September 2017. The contemporary art collection has been moved to the new National Museum.
The new National Museum opened in 11 June 2022. The entire museum collection has been documented, reviewed for conservation and packed before being made available to the public. The new museum includes the first-ever permanent display of contemporary art, extending over a total area of 2 300 m2, in addition to temporary exhibitions. Visitors are able view contemporary art in completely new contexts, juxtaposed with older art, design and architecture.
The collection
The National Museum’s collection of contemporary art comprises some 5 000 works by Norwegian and international artists from 1945 to today. The collection contains a wide range of genres and forms of expression: painting, graphic art, drawing, photography, sculpture, objects, installation and video-art.
The museum opened its doors to the public in 1990 in the former headquarters of Norges Bank at Bankplassen in central Oslo. This beautiful Art Nouveau-inspired building in Norwegian granite and marble, designed by architect Magnus Olsen Hjorth (1862–1927), was completed in 1906. The museum has an exhibition area of approximately 2 000 m2 over two floors, with the main gallery located in the large bank hall on the ground floor. In 2003, the museum became an integral part of the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design.
Explore the digital collection online
Get a closer look at the National Museum's digital collection of contemporary art highlights online.