Posts Tagged ‘kjell inge røkke’

Magne creates unique steel sculpture

Magne and his sculpture (Picture from Budstikka)

Magne and his sculpture
(Picture from Budstikka)

Magne has recently been working on a unique steel sculpture, commissioned by Norwegian billionaire Kjell Inge Røkke. This is the third major art project Magne has done for Røkke during the last year, he has previously decorated the headquarters of Aker Solutions at Fornebu and created the Code 1 sail for Røkke’s luxury yacht Aglaia.

This time Røkke wanted a spectacular steel sculpure, resembling a tree, which would eventually stand outside his luxury cabin at Oppdal. To create the sculpture, Magne decided to twist and bend a 12 meter long and 2,5 ton heavy H-beam of steel, something which has never been attempted before.

Magne has been preparing this project since late 2012, and enlisted the help of two blacksmiths and one excavator driver in the process. To get inspired, Magne took his team on a trip to Bilbao and St. Sebastian earlier this month, to study the works of Spanish sculptor Eduardo Chillida.

Last weekend, the final process of twisting the H-beam started. The newspaper Budstikka has a long article documenting the project (including a slideshow) on its website, which can be found here.

Magne decorates Røkke’s luxury yacht

Aglaia 
(Picture from lars-g.dk)

Over the years, Magne has created artworks for several cruise ships. Now his art can also be seen on a different kind of ship; he has recently decorated the enormous sail of luxury yacht Aglaia, boatinternational.com reports:

“(…) Suitably for a boat named after the Greek goddess of beauty and splendour, Aglaia is also a gorgeous-looking yacht. Chief among her charms is the painting by Norwegian artist Magne Furuholmen on her Code 1 sail, which at about 3,600m2 (both sides of the 1,787m2 Cuben Fiber sail) is one of the largest fabric paintings in the world.

The owners had a series of Furuholmen pieces on board and after the christening chose to make his art a more integral part of Aglaia’s DNA – by putting his work on her sail. Furuholmen was given no specific brief and he told the owner he would make no sketches (‘you’re going to have to trust me’).

‘When I got asked to do this particular commission, I decided to take a modern approach to portrait paintings of 100 years ago,’ Furuholmen says from the deck of Aglaia. ‘It’s my interpretation of a history. I try to find an angle that both has a connection to the context in which the work is going to be placed and a connection to that person whom I’m portraying.’ (…)”

Aglaia is owned by Norwegian billionaire Kjell Inge Røkke. The controversial business man is supposed to have paid around $100 million for the luxury yacht, which was launched in March 2011. Aglaia also includes art by Magne’s good friend and fellow artist Nico Widerberg.

More pictures of Aglaia, with Magne making a visit onboard, can be seen at photographer Lars Gundersen’s website at lars-g.dk.

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