Former grain silo reimagined as one of Norway’s most exciting museums

The world’s largest private collection of Nordic art is set to become public with the May opening of an innovative cultural centre in the south of Norway.

The Tangen Collection is one of two centrepieces of the new Kunstmuseum, which inhabits a converted 1935 grain silo that is considered a Norwegian architectural gem, designed by Arne Korsmo and Sverre Aasland who were noted for their early adoption of the international modern style.

The silo is on the coast in Kristiansand, a charming city with historic streets and structures, hip youth culture, pretty beaches and a thriving arts scene that includes another new landmark, the Kilden Performing Arts Centre at Odderoya, a former naval base turned into a recreational area.

The silo heritage preservation project, the subject of a design competition, leads to the new three-floor, 3300-square-metre museum created by a trio of Barcelona practitioners, Mestres Wage Arquitectes, Mendoza Partida and BAX Studio.

Founded by Kristiansand native and devoted art patron Nicolai Tangen, the Tangen Collection encompasses more than 5500 important works by more than 300 artists across various mediums from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.

Kunstsilo also houses the collection of the Southern Norway Art Museum which spans more than 1600 arts and crafts pieces from mostly Norwegian artists, including Edvard Munch.

Kunstsilo also hosts interactive digital art, will offer international touring exhibitions and with its event spaces showing off panoramic views of the region’s spectacular coastline, will also act as a venue for lectures, concerts, dining experiences and workshops.

Kunstsilo’s inaugural exhibition, “Passions of the North” is inspired by themes drawn from literary giants such as Thomas Hardy and Virginia Woolf and runs across 700 works and 25 rooms, each decorated for individual moods.