Kristian Blystad (1946) has, over six decades, established himself as a distinctive sculptor who has made a significant contribution to the renewal of the Norwegian sculptural tradition. On the occasion of his 80th birthday, the Vigeland Museum and the Oslo Municipal Art Collection collaborate to highlight Blystad’s artistic practice in this year’s summer exhibition.

The title Monolithos may be read as a reference to Gustav Vigeland’s 17-metre-high stone monolith, but in Blystad’s case it points to an artistic practice defined by a unified sense of monumentality, both in form and content. Through more than 40 solo and group exhibitions, as well as close to 50 public art projects, Blystad has established himself as one of Norway’s foremost sculptors, with a highly distinctive approach to the sculptural medium.