A Unique Cultural Hub in Bergen
KODE Art museums and composer homes represents one of Scandinavia's largest institutions for art and music. The organization stewards almost 50,000 objects across its various sites. This collection spans from the 15th to the 20th century and includes international modernism. The holdings encompass art, crafts, design, and music.
The institution is organized into several distinct locations. Four art museums are situated within the city center of Bergen, Norway. Additionally, three composer homes are located outside the city. These sites allow for a broad examination of visual and auditory history through a single institutional framework.
The Diverse Art Museum Collections
The collections are distributed across several specialized venues in Bergen. The Rasmus Meyer Collection contains the world’s third largest Edvard Munch collection. This site also holds Norwegian Golden Age art from the periods of 1880 to 1905 and 1920. Visitors may find works by J. C. Dahl, Tidemand & Gude, and Christian Krogh within these galleries.
Lysverket houses works by Nikolai Astrup and features art ranging from the Renaissance to the 20th century. This building includes KunstLab, an art museum specifically for children. For those interested in fine craft and design, Permanenten provides dedicated exhibition space. The Stenersen museum focuses on rotating interests, hosting temporary exhibitions on the first floor and maintaining a bookshop on the ground floor.
- Portrait of a Monk, about 1815 - Johan Christian Dahl
- Untitled (Reconstruction), 1926 - Paul Klee
- Interior frm Uvdal Stave Church, 1909 - Harriet Backer
- Mountain Landscape at Sunset, 1849 - Johan Christian Dahl
- Abstract Architectural Composition with Dark Yellow Ball, 1915 - Paul Klee
The Historic Composer Homes
The collection extends beyond the city center to include the private residences of significant musical figures. At Troldhaugen, the home of Edvard and Nina Grieg, the site comprises a villa built in 1885, a Composer Cabin, and a burial place. The grounds also include a museum building and the Troldsalen concert hall, which hosts over 400 concerts annually, including daily lunch concerts during the summer season.
Siljustøl was the residence of Harald Sæverud and his wife, Marie. The museum section of this home contains the composer's study, which holds his personal belongings and a grand piano. This site offers a view into the private working environment of the composer.
Lysøen, the summer villa of Ole Bull and his family, was built in 1872. While the museum building is currently closed for rehabilitation, the island remains accessible to visitors. Access to the island is provided by a shuttle boat, the MS Ole Bull, during the summer months.
Architectural Heritage and Design
The physical structures of the KODE museums reflect various eras of Norwegian architectural history. The Rasmus Meyer Collection is housed in a building designed by Ole Landmark and completed in 1924. This structure was built to prioritize the influx of natural light, ensuring that the subtle color gradations of the paintings are viewed in their authentic context. Nearby, the Permanenten building presents a Neo-renaissance style, designed by Henry Bertram Bucher.
Industrial history is represented through the Lysverket building, which dates from 1938. This site includes the former Lysverket power station, an example of early 20th-century industrial architecture that has been repurposed for exhibition use. The integration of this utilitarian space into the museum landscape demonstrates the adaptive reuse of Bergen's built environment.
The composer homes offer a different scale of domestic architecture. The villa at Troldhaugen was built in 1885. These residential sites, including the summer villa at Lysøen, provide a connection to the private living spaces of the composers. The collection of buildings across the various sites spans from 19th-century residential design to mid-20th-century industrial and modern structures.
