At a Glance

Astrup Fearnley Museet is a private contemporary-art museum on Oslo's Tjuvholmen waterfront. Started by the Astrup Fearnley shipping family in 1993 and moved to its current seaside home in 2012, it is Northern Europe's most committed collector of American and Chinese contemporary art.

Renzo Piano's Ships on a Canal

Three timber-and-glass volumes spanned by one sweeping roof, with a rising sail-like apex visible from the fjord. Outdoor sculpture and café line the canal; the building flows straight onto a swimming dock.

Highlights

• Jeff Koons — Michael Jackson and Bubbles (1988).
• Damien Hirst medicine cabinets and preservation works.
• Anselm Kiefer, Cindy Sherman.
• One of Europe's earliest serious holdings of Chinese contemporary art: Cai Guo-Qiang, Zhang Xiaogang, Wang Guangyi.
• Outdoor sculptures by Anish Kapoor, Olafur Eliasson, Louise Bourgeois—free with the seaside walk.

Tips

Tram 12 to Aker Brygge, then ten minutes along the Tjuvholmen boardwalk. ~180 NOK; free for under-17. Plan 1.5–2 hours, more with the sculptures. Combine with the new Nasjonalmuseet (2022), a 15-minute walk away.