Rolf Stenersen
Encyclopedia
Rolf Kristian Eckersberg Stenersen (13 February 1899 – 15 October 1978) was a Norwegian track and field
athlete, businessman, art collector, non-fiction writer, essay
ist, novel
ist, playwright
and biographer.
as the son of bookseller Johan Martin Stenersen and Martha Kathrine Eckersberg. He was married to Inger Johanne Martinsen from 1924. He died in Bergen
in 1978.
in 1919 and 1920, and in 4 x 100 metres relay
in 1920. He participated at the 1920 Summer Olympics
in Antwerp, where he competed in 100 metres, 200 metres and 4x100 metres relay.
already as a teenager. He graduated from Kristiania Commerce School
in 1918, and studied at Queen's College, Oxford
from 1922 to 1924. From 1925 he was running his own business, A/S Stenersen og Waage, which operated in the rubber business and the Dutch stock market.
He was a friend of painter Edvard Munch
from the 1920s, came to be Munch's financial advisor. He was also a collector of his art work, and had one of the largest private collections of Munch's works. In 1926 he organized an exhibition of his art collection, which centered around works by Munch and Ludvig Karsten
. He wrote essays on artists such as Edvard Munch, Erik Harry Johannessen
, Jakob Weidemann
and Paul Klee
. He published books on economy, including Penger og tall from 1937. His début as a fiction writer was the short story collection Godnatt da du from 1931.
He donated his collection of Norwegian art to the municipality of Aker
in 1936, from 1994 located in the Stenersen Museum
in Oslo. His books were forbidden by the Nazi regime in 1941, and Stenersen had to flee to Sweden. His biography of Edvard Munch
from 1944, translated into several languages, was Stenersen's greatest writing success. His play Eva og Johannes from 1953 was staged at Nationaltheatret
by Agnes Mowinckel
.
His collection of foreign art was donated to the city of Bergen
in 1971, and the exhibition was open to the public from 1978. He donated his home, the functionalist
Villa Stenersen designed by Arne Korsmo
, to the State of Norway as a home for the Prime Minister
. Odvar Nordli
lived in the house, but the building has later been used for cultural purposes.
He was decorated as a Knight, First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav in 1953, and as a Commander in 1974. He received the St. Hallvard Medal in 1977.
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
athlete, businessman, art collector, non-fiction writer, essay
Essay
An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
ist, novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and biographer.
Personal life
Stenersen was born in KristianiaOslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
as the son of bookseller Johan Martin Stenersen and Martha Kathrine Eckersberg. He was married to Inger Johanne Martinsen from 1924. He died in Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
in 1978.
Sports career
He was a Norwegian champion in 200 metres200 metres
A 200 metres race is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 m track, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track, was the first...
in 1919 and 1920, and in 4 x 100 metres relay
4 x 100 metres relay
The 4 × 100 metres relay or sprint relay is an athletics track event run in lanes over one lap of the track with four runners completing 100 metres each. The first runners begin in the same stagger as for the individual 400 m race...
in 1920. He participated at the 1920 Summer Olympics
1920 Summer Olympics
The 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium....
in Antwerp, where he competed in 100 metres, 200 metres and 4x100 metres relay.
Business, art and literature
He was active on the stock marketStock market
A stock market or equity market is a public entity for the trading of company stock and derivatives at an agreed price; these are securities listed on a stock exchange as well as those only traded privately.The size of the world stock market was estimated at about $36.6 trillion...
already as a teenager. He graduated from Kristiania Commerce School
Oslo Commerce School
Oslo Commerce School is a public high school in Oslo, Norway, specialized to teach financial and business management....
in 1918, and studied at Queen's College, Oxford
The Queen's College, Oxford
The Queen's College, founded 1341, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Queen's is centrally situated on the High Street, and is renowned for its 18th-century architecture...
from 1922 to 1924. From 1925 he was running his own business, A/S Stenersen og Waage, which operated in the rubber business and the Dutch stock market.
He was a friend of painter Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch was a Norwegian Symbolist painter, printmaker and an important forerunner of expressionist art. His best-known composition, The Scream, is part of a series The Frieze of Life, in which Munch explored the themes of love, fear, death, melancholia, and anxiety.- Childhood :Edvard Munch...
from the 1920s, came to be Munch's financial advisor. He was also a collector of his art work, and had one of the largest private collections of Munch's works. In 1926 he organized an exhibition of his art collection, which centered around works by Munch and Ludvig Karsten
Ludvig Karsten
Ludvig Karsten was a Norwegian painter. He was a neo-impressionist influenced by Edvard Munch, Henri Matisse and the contemporary French painting. He first participated at the Autumn exhibition in Kristiania in 1901, and had his first separate exhibition in 1904...
. He wrote essays on artists such as Edvard Munch, Erik Harry Johannessen
Erik Harry Johannessen
Erik Harry Johannessen was a Norwegian painter. He studied at the Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry from 1924 to 1925, and was influenced by Kai Fjell and Edvard Munch. He belonged to a group of surrealists in the 1930s, and later painted landscapes, crowd pictures and...
, Jakob Weidemann
Jakob Weidemann
Jakob Weidemann was a Norwegian artist. Jakob Weidemann is regarded as one of Norway’s more important artists of post-war Modernism.-Biography:...
and Paul Klee
Paul Klee
Paul Klee was born in Münchenbuchsee, Switzerland, and is considered both a German and a Swiss painter. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. He was, as well, a student of orientalism...
. He published books on economy, including Penger og tall from 1937. His début as a fiction writer was the short story collection Godnatt da du from 1931.
He donated his collection of Norwegian art to the municipality of Aker
Aker, Norway
Aker is a former municipality in Akershus, which lends its name to a municipality and a county in Norway. The name originally belonged to a farm which was located near the current Old Aker Church...
in 1936, from 1994 located in the Stenersen Museum
Stenersen Museum
The Stenersen Museum is an art museum in Oslo, Norway at Munkedamsveien 15.The museum shows both international and Norwegian art. The museum also houses three main art collections, donated to the Oslo municipality by Rolf E. Stenersen, Amaldus Nielsen's heirs, and Ludvig O. Ravensberg...
in Oslo. His books were forbidden by the Nazi regime in 1941, and Stenersen had to flee to Sweden. His biography of Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch was a Norwegian Symbolist painter, printmaker and an important forerunner of expressionist art. His best-known composition, The Scream, is part of a series The Frieze of Life, in which Munch explored the themes of love, fear, death, melancholia, and anxiety.- Childhood :Edvard Munch...
from 1944, translated into several languages, was Stenersen's greatest writing success. His play Eva og Johannes from 1953 was staged at Nationaltheatret
Nationaltheatret
The National Theatre in Oslo is one of Norway's largest and most prominent venues for performance of dramatic arts.The theatre had its first performance on 1 September 1899 but can trace its origins to Christiania Theatre, which was founded in 1829...
by Agnes Mowinckel
Agnes Mowinckel
Agnes Mowinckel was a Norwegian actress and theatre director, born in Bergen. She was Norway's first professional stage director. She was a pioneer in bringing painters to the theatre, using light as an artistic element, and engaging contemporary composers...
.
His collection of foreign art was donated to the city of Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
in 1971, and the exhibition was open to the public from 1978. He donated his home, the functionalist
Functionalism (architecture)
Functionalism, in architecture, is the principle that architects should design a building based on the purpose of that building. This statement is less self-evident than it first appears, and is a matter of confusion and controversy within the profession, particularly in regard to modern...
Villa Stenersen designed by Arne Korsmo
Arne Korsmo
Arne Korsmo was a leading architect in Norway and a propagator of the international architectural style.-Biography:...
, to the State of Norway as a home for the Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Norway
The Prime Minister of Norway is the political leader of Norway and the Head of His Majesty's Government. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Stortinget , to their political party, and ultimately the...
. Odvar Nordli
Odvar Nordli
is a Norwegian politician from the Labour Party. He was Prime Minister of Norway from 1976 to 1981.Nordli grew up in Tangen in Stange, Hedmark. After World War II he served in the Independent Norwegian Brigade Group in Germany, part of the Allied forces occupying post-war Germany...
lived in the house, but the building has later been used for cultural purposes.
He was decorated as a Knight, First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav in 1953, and as a Commander in 1974. He received the St. Hallvard Medal in 1977.