Sverre Wyller
Sverre Wyller was born in Oslo, where he received his art education from the National Art Academy, followed by the Hochschule der Künste in (West) Berlin, before moving to New York, where he lived and worked for several years. Wyller returned to Oslo in 1995 for a professorship in painting at the National Art Academy.
Wyller’s main focus has been painting, collage and sculpture. In his early paintings he introduced figures simplified to a degree of pictograms. Wyller’s interest in infrastructure and its’ signs inspired his work with collage/décollage and the use of packing materials, sometimes by flattening found objects as grounds for paintings. His interest in merging painting and three-dimensional objects was followed by sculptural projects based on used construction steel, resulting in several large scale works and public commissions. Wyller’s recent paintings have been dominated by color fields executed with tempera in an almost fresco-like manner.
His work is often grouped as a series, executed over several years, such as the Paterson Series where one identically sized collage/painting was made every fall over ten years, or the Miramichi Series, steel sculptures made on-site during the demolition of a former paper plant in New Brunswick, Canada. His public sculptures are characterized by their abstract and organic expression, such as the sculpture Allium at the Peder Balke-Senteret at Kapp, Norway. His public commission The Blue Station for Løren subway station in Oslo has an all-over color scheme, including a 30 m2 fresco.
In 2024, Haugar Art Museum in Tønsberg presented a comprehensive retrospective exhibition with an accompanying monograph.
Wyller is co-founder of the artist cooperative and occasional exhibition space K.O.S A (Krutthuset) located in Maridalen outside Oslo, where he resides and works. He has also spent working periods in Berlin and Belgrade in recent years.
Wyller is represented in The National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Oslo, Haugar Art Museum, Tønsberg, Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Astrup Fearnley Museum, Oslo, Malmö Art Museum, Malmö, Henie Onstad Art Center, Høvikodden, Stavanger Art Museum, Stavanger, Kode Art Museums, Bergen, and numerous private collections.
Exhibitions
Biography
Born 1953 in Oslo, Norway
Lives and works in Oslo
EDUCATION
1982 – 1984 Hochschule der Künste, Berlin, Germany
1979 – 1982 National Academy of Fine Arts, Oslo
1975 – 1977 The Oslo School of Architecture and Design, Oslo
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2025 Recent sculptures, Galleri Riis, Oslo
2024 Sverre Wyller, Galleri Van Etten, Oslo
2024 Sverre Wyller, Haugar Kunstmuseum, Tønsberg
2023 Skulptur, Galleri Opdahl, Stavanger
2021 Pilegrim, Nidarosdomen’s Borggård, August 2021 – August 2022, Trondheim, Norway
2021 New Sculptures and Paintings, Galleri Riis, Oslo
2018 Sculptures, NBF, Norsk Billedhoggerforening, Oslo
2018 Westend, Westend Krankenhaus, Berlin
2018 Westend, Galleri Riis, Oslo
2017 The Kolbu series, new sculptures, Peder Balke-center, Kapp, Østre Toten, Norway
2015 New Paintings, Galleri Opdahl, Stavanger, Norway
2014 Oslo, Galleri Riis, Oslo
2013 Miramichi, Galleri Opdahl, Stavanger, Norway
2011 Miramichi 20, Galleri Riis, Oslo
2010 Miramichi, Galleri Riis, Oslo
2008 Punkt, Galerie Opdahl, Berlin
2007 Post, Galleri Gann, Sandnes, Norway
2006 To og tyve, Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo
2006 Tre og tyve, Galleri Riis, Oslo
2006 Potet, Galleri Opdahl, Stavanger
2006 The Paterson Project, Drammen Museum, Drammen, Norway
2005 The Paterson Project, Henie-Onstad Art Center, Høvikodden, Norway
2004 The Paterson Project, Rogaland Kunstmuseum, Stavanger
2004 St. Petersburg-series, Kunstnerforbundet i Oslo
2003 St. Petersburg-series, The Dostojevski-museum, St.Petersburg, Russia
2002 New Paintings, Galleri Riis, Oslo
1996 Henie-Onstad Art Center, Høvikodden, Norway
1996 Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, Oslo
1988 Galerie Nordenhake, Stockholm, Sweden
1986 Bergen Kunstforening, Bergen, Norway
1986 Galleri Riis, Oslo
1984 Die Quergalerie, Berlin
1983 Niemandes Schlaf, Sonne Berlin Ausstellungen, Berlin
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025 Gärna avantgardistisk konst, Ravinen Kulturhus, Båstad, Sverige
2022 Blunk, Trond Mohns Samling, Stavanger Kunstmuseum
2021 Nyervervelser, Haugar Kunstmuseum
2021 Ny kunst, ny samling, Lillehammer Kunstmuseum
2021 Herifrå, Peder Balke-senteret, Kapp
2019 Har vi møttes før? Lillehammer Kunstmuseum
2017 25 Years, Purchase for the Stavanger Art Museum Collection, 1992 – 2017, Stavanger Kunstmuseum
2017 Group show, Galleri Riis, Oslo
2016 Inauguration of new space, Galleri Riis, Oslo
2016 Matthias Mansen and Sverre Wyller – Model for an exhibition, Edvard-Munch-Haus, Warnemünde, Germany
2016 Group show, Galleri Opdahl, Stavanger
2015 Siksi – revisited, Galleri F15, Moss, Norway
2015 Tredje Akt, Drammen Museum, Drammen, Norway
2014 El Rey de Icod, TEA, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
2013 Dare 2 Love Yourself, Momentum Biennial, Moss, Norway
2012 Längtans Blomma Är Störst På Håll, Galleri Riis, Oslo
2012 All we ask is to be with art, Astrup Fearnley Museum, Oslo
2011 Galleri Riis, Stockholm, Sweden
2011 Norwegian Sculpture Biennial 2011, The Vigeland Museum, Oslo
2010 Blodig Alvor, Bergen Kunstmuseum, Norway
2007 Clusters, Henie-Onstad Art Center, Høvikodden, Norway
2001 Skrikets ekko, Arken, Ishøj, Denmark; Munch-Museet, Oslo
1997 Norske Profiler, Museum Folkwang, Essen and Kunsthalle Rostock, Germany
1994 Borta men Hemma, Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden
1992 Exil, Stavanger
1990 Jacob Smith, Thomas Hestvold, Sverre Wyller, Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo
1986 Nordanad, Museé des Arts Décoratif, Paris, France; Malmö Konsthall, Sweden
1985 Sesjon, Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo
1983 Die Quergalerie, Neue Berliner Kunstverein, Berlin, Germany
SELECTED PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
The National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Oslo, Norway
Malmö Konsthall, Schyls donation, Malmö, Sweden
Henie Onstad Art Center, Høvikodden, Norway
Malmö Art Museum, Sweden
Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden
Städtisches Museum, Reütlingen, Germany
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, The Nederlands
Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, Oslo, Norway
Peder Balke-senteret, Østre Toten, Norway
Stavanger Kunstmuseum, Stavanger
Bergen Kunstmuseum (KODE) , Bergen
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Lillehammer Kunstmuseum, Lillehammer
Drammens Museum, Drammen
Haugar Kunstmuseum, Tønsberg
Tangen-samlingen, Kunstsilo, Kristiansand
SELECTED PUBLIC COMMISSIONS
2011 Miramichi # 19, Vigelandsmuseet, Oslo
2014 Miramichi # 20 og # 25, Statens Hus, Stavanger
2014 Allium, Peder Balke-senteret, Østre Toten, Norway
2016 Den blå Stasjonen, Løren T–banestasjon, Oslo
2016 Miramichi # 23, the Norwegian Embassy Residence in Berlin
2016 Miramichi # 6, Edvard-Munch-Haus, Warnemünde, Germany
2020 Domstol, Øvre Romerike Tingrett, Eidsvoll
2021-22 Pilegrim, Erkebispegården, Trondheim
2022 Pilegrim, Bærums Verk, Bærum
2023 Liggende Figur, Gulskogen Gård, Drammens Museum
2025 Siljustøl Suiten, Siljustøl, Bergen