Nils Aas

Personal life and Education

Nils Sigurd Aas was born in Inderøy, in Nord-Trøndelag County, Norway. He grew up in a family of prominent carpenters and furniture makers. His grandfather (also named Nils Aas) had established a carpentry workshop and water-driven sawmill in Straumen. His father, Ivar Aas, took over the carpentry workshop at the death of the elder Nils Aas in 1927, and eventually won awards for his furniture work. The family also operated a Sunday School out of the same building as the workshop, from 1933-73. Aas' mother was Inga Lie was from Telemark and had come to the village in 1928, working for the local parish priest. Ivar and Inga met and married the same year, and the couple had five children: Marit (1929), Signe (1930), Nils (1933), Aslaug (1935) and Arne (1941). In his youth, Nils was active as ski jumpers and athletes.

Nils was educated in the family trade of woodworking from an early age, and his earliest preserved work is a wooden sculpture of Bishop Arne Fjellbu, made when Aas was 16 years old. After graduating from secondary school and after a shirt stint in military service, Aas applied to the Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry in 1954 at the age of 21; his older sister, Marit, had started at the school two years earlier. His father marked the occasion by making a suitcase of wood as a farewell gift to the son. Aas studied at the school from 1954–58, notably under Arne Bruland and Ivar Bell. From Bell he learned calligraphy Bell, who nevertheless pushed Aas towards his eventual career as another type of artist, commenting "I think you are three-dimensional"; Aas took the advice and enrolled in sculpture classes the next term. Upon leaving the institute, Nils went on to study under sculptor Nils Flakstad from 1958-1959. At the end of 1959, he accepted work with Per Palle Storm.

As a student he had various commercial and industry jobs, particularly over his summers, including a stint at an advertising agency, and another as an assistant at the architectural and planning offices in Steinkjer. Advertising did not appeal to him, but the experience in architecture further influenced his concepts for sculpture, particularly those designed for public spaces. Aas married Tonje Strøm, whom he had met at the National Academy, in 1959. The marriage lasted until 1978 and the couple had two sons. One of their sons, Atle Aas, is an architect and is married to Camilla Stoltenberg.

In his last term at the National Academy, and for several years following, Aas began to work as an assistant to the abstract sculptor Arnold Haukeland, who would have a substantial impact upon Aas's own style. Aas worked for Haukeland in varying capacities through 1966, at which point Haukeland took on a new assistant and encouraged Aas to develop his own reputation. Through Haukeland, Aas was introduced to the aesthetics of abstract form. He participated in the creation of two of Haukeland's most famous sculptures: the "Elements Fountain" at Bærum Town Hall and "Dynamics", a sculpture on the promenade at Sjølyst, in Oslo. It was in Haukeland's studio that Aas created his own debut work (titled "Torso") for the Oslo Autumn Exhibition.

In 1996, Aas married for a second time, this time to craftsman Christine Reintz. He died in 2004, at the age of 70.

Art works

Aas' work in sculpture spanned several different styles and material bases. His most famous work, a statue of King Haakon VII located in the June 7 Plaza, is made of clay and plaster and cast in bronze. A statue of Henrik Ibsen in Bergen is made of granite, while several other public decorative works are made in wood. His 10-ton heavy wall decoration Nordisk Lys ("Nordic Light") in the Council of Europe's Council of Ministers building in Strasbourg is made of laminated spruce. It is 16 meters wide and 6 meters high.

Several other works were rendered in steel wire and/or paper. Among these are a miniature statue of a horseback rider in steel wire and figures representing Marcus Aurelius, Rallar, and Charlie Chaplin composed of steel wire and copper plate. He is also known for a large number of small sculptures made entirely from paper. A number of other sculptures, often formed to serve as facades to walls, were made entirely from wood.

Other statues by Nils Aas include works based on Grete Waitz and Henrik Ibsen. He also created portrait busts for a large number of portrait busts - including those of Einar Gerhardsen, Johan Borgen, Arthur Rubinstein, Håkon Bleken, Harald Sæverud, Jakob Weidemann and Rolf Jacobsen. Aas is also well known as the designer of a number of medals and coins for official treasury or governmental purposes in Norway, most notably the current 10-krone and 20-kronner coin.

Awards and honors

Nils Aas Kunstverksted

Nils Aas Kunstverksted, located in Inderøy, has a permanent collection of his work. The building is designed by Nils Aas. The most notable piece is a huge circular monument made in birch wood, situated in the centre of the museum. Many of the sculptor’s busts of famous Norwegians are also on permanent display. In addition the museum features a workshop for art lessons and a museum shop. Artworks The facility opened during 1996. Nearby is Muustrøparken sculpture garden. Nils Aas had donated eight sculptures to the park, here are 6 small and 2 large sculptures.

Selected works