Art at Quality Hotel Olavsgaard

Quality Hotel Olavsgaard is a major player in the conference and course market in the Oslo region. To symbolize that conferences and courses are about knowledge transfer, Olavsgaard has used books as the overarching theme throughout the hotel. The collection comprises over 25,000 books, freely available to everyone.

As an extension of the book collection, the hotel has also started an art collection of visual art based on the written word. Currently, the hotel is adorned with 12 different art collections.

The main staircase of the hotel is adorned with 18 charcoal drawings by artist Kari Grasmo. The drawings are based on the semi-documentary novel "Drømmen og Hjulet" (The Dream and the Wheel) by Jens Bjørneboe.

"Lysthuset" and "Stue 3" in the restaurant feature 6 paintings by artist Jon Bøe Paulsen based on "Et dukkehjem " by Henrik Ibsen.

In all our hotel rooms, the artist Vigdis Fjellheim has painted 365 paintings, also documented in the book "Funnet, utvalgt og utplassert," subtitled 182 Travelers - 182 Shifts. Additionally, she has painted a "unifying" picture adorning our meeting room Valhall in the conference center.

The walls of the hotel corridor leading to the conference center feature the words of Ari Behn and the paintings of Unni Askeland in their collaborative project AU. Initially intended as a project solely for the Literature Festival in Lillehammer in 2011, it now has a permanent place here with us.

At the entrance to the conference center hangs "Kunstmappen Bagasje" by Nicolaus Widerberg and Lars Saabye Christensen. This is the first collaborative project between Nico Widerberg and Lars Saabye Christensen. The folder consists of lithographic prints by Nico and poems by Lars.

The artist Jørn Kaasa leaves his mark on our second staircase, including his Madonna prints related to the book "Lengselens røtter" wrritten by the same artist.

"Kongen tenker" by Dag Hol is a series of charcoal drawings of well-known Viking personalities. These fantastic drawings can be found in our banquet hall - Olavsalen.

One of the rooms in our restaurant has had the pleasure of housing Elling Reitan's colorful paintings. Based on Knut Hamsun's novel "Victoria," the artist has created magical paintings in vibrant colors where the text is part of the painting itself.

The decoration of our main restaurant, Vinterhagen, has been painted by Nico Widerberg with 4 unique paintings commissioned by the hotel. These are based on Tarjei Vesaas' novel "Is-slottet"

In the hotel's common area on the floor below the reception, the artist Mona Orstad Hansen - commissioned by the hotel - has painted 3 paintings based on Jan Erik Vold's poems "I vektens tegn" Here you will also find a statue by Nico Widerberg.

The hotel also features outdoor art. In the backyard, guests with rooms facing the facade of the Lysthuset can enjoy the sight of KokkoArt's abstract street art symbolizing Olavsgaard as the hub we are. Centrally located with roads leading to us and then taking you further.

The hotel's most recent art project adorns our new bar, Holger. Commissioned by the hotel, Kaja Norum paints 7 paintings based on Per Petterson's novel "Ut å stjæle hester." The project is not yet complete as 2 paintings are still pending for the collection.

Welcome to our art hotel!