Dyre Vaa

Background

He was born in Kviteseid, Telemark, and later lived and worked in Rauland. Vaa grew up the youngest of five siblings in a wealthy home. His father was one of the largest forest owners in Telemark. Vaa studied at the Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry and at Norwegian National Academy of Fine Arts from 1922–23, under Wilhelm Rasmussen, and later traveled to Spain, Greece and Italy for studies. His first important work was a portrait of Minister of Education Ivar Peterson Tveiten (1925, bronze. National Gallery of Norway).

Works

Among his works are his Holberg sculpture outside Nationaltheatret in Oslo, on 1 September 1939. Further four bronze sculptures with motives from Norwegian fairy tales at Ankerbrua (Peer Gynt, Veslefrikk med fela, Kari Trestakk and Kvitebjørn Kong Valemon), and bronze wolves at Ila (1930). Vaa contributed to the decoration of Oslo City Hall, with the swan fountain in the courtyard (1948–1950). He has made portrayal sculptures of several writers, Henrik Ibsen (1958, Skien), Aasmund Olavsson Vinje (1968), Ivar Aasen, and Olav Aukrust (1955, Lom), the fiddle player Myllarguten (Arabygdi, Rauland), sculptural work at the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, several World War II memorials (Rjukan 1946, Nordfjord 1947, Porsgrunn 1950, Gjerpen 1954), and is represented at the National Gallery of Norway. Vaa also served as chairman of Norsk Billedhoggerforening.

Museum

A museum, the Dyre Vaa collections, opened 1981 in Rauland, Vinje. Here are bronze sculptures and many of his gypsum figures, drawings and sketches.

Family

He was the younger brother of lyricist Aslaug Vaa. The writer Tarjei Vesaas and composer Eivind Groven were his second cousins. Dyre Vaa's wife, Thora, was daughter of writer Johan Bojer, and she was the model he used most. Their son Tor is also a sculptor.