Astrup Fearnley Museet
Where Oslo Looks Outward: A Season at Astrup Fearnley Museet
Art, architecture and the published programme for 1 October 2026–12 April 2027
Programme information checked on 25 September 2026. This article covers the exhibitions and dated events currently published for the period, together with the museum’s regular activities. The complete programme through April 2027 has not yet been published. Further announcements, changes to collection displays and event availability should be checked through the museum’s exhibition pages and events calendar. All times below are local to Oslo.
A Museum at the Water’s Edge
At the outer edge of Tjuvholmen, the horizon becomes part of the museum visit. Astrup Fearnley Museet occupies two buildings beside the Oslofjord, separated by a canal and connected by a bridge. Above them, Renzo Piano’s curved glass roof recalls the sails and rigging of the harbour. Water, architecture and art are brought into close proximity: the surroundings remain visible as visitors move through the museum, giving the experience a rhythm of concentration and release.
For an international visitor, this is an especially rewarding introduction to Oslo’s contemporary cultural life. The museum combines a collection assembled through sustained relationships with artists, an international exhibition programme and opportunities to encounter art through conversation, performance and practical experimentation. Its identity has developed around contemporary art since its foundation in 1993.
The announced autumn and winter exhibitions offer three distinctive approaches to the world we inhabit. Beatriz González examines the images through which societies understand themselves. Material Shifts considers how sculpture changes as ideas, objects and materials move between different forms. Pushwagner turns to the systems of modern life, finding unsettling possibilities in its routines, technologies and structures of power. Read together, they suggest a season concerned with how familiar things acquire meaning—and how artists can disturb that familiarity.
A Collector’s Vision and an Architectural Landmark
The museum’s history begins before its public opening. Hans Rasmus Astrup started collecting in the 1960s, developing an approach that followed individual artists and substantial bodies of work. That sustained attention remains essential to understanding the institution. After his death in 2021, Astrup left the collection and financial resources to the foundations supporting the museum, enabling acquisitions and public programming to continue. A personal commitment to art had become an enduring public resource.
The move to Tjuvholmen in 2012 gave that ambition a new architectural setting. Designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop with Narud Stokke Wiig, the museum opened here on 29 September that year. Its galleries occupy different levels and configurations, while windows and connecting spaces maintain contact with the waterfront. Piano’s conception of the complex as a small village is useful preparation for a visit: allow time for the spaces between exhibitions as well as the exhibitions themselves.
Astrup Fearnley Collection
The collection provides the continuity behind this changing programme. Its holdings include significant works by Matthew Barney, Paul Chan, Trisha Donnelly, Nicole Eisenman, Ida Ekblad, Félix González-Torres, Rachel Harrison, Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons, Glenn Ligon, Sigmar Polke, Cindy Sherman, Børre Sæthre and Wolfgang Tillmans. Norwegian and international practices belong to the same conversation. Regular reinstallations introduce different relationships between works, allowing familiar objects to be encountered in unfamiliar company.
For visitors planning an autumn trip, the relevant display is Astrup Fearnley Collection, currently listed for 2 January–30 December 2026. It brings acquisitions from recent years into dialogue with established holdings. Among the works identified in the exhibition description are Nina Beier’s Fleet (2024), Julia Rommel’s Crafter’s Choice (2024) and Kara Walker’s A Burial at the Artist’s Country Estate (2022). These appear alongside Synnøve Anker Aurdal’s Fossen (1984–89) and Olav Christopher Jenssen’s Once, Thirtyfirst Time (1996). Robert Grosvenor’s Untitled (2022), and Klara Lidén’s Verdebelvedere and Verdebelvedere Exit, both from 2024, are also named in the presentation.
The distinction between the collection and its current installation matters. The collection is an enduring part of the museum; the selection on view changes. The published end date of 30 December applies to this exhibition listing. It should not be taken as confirmation that the same arrangement, or every named work, will remain on view in 2027.
Recent acquisitions show how actively the collection continues to develop. The museum reports adding 67 works in 2025. These include Tori Wrånes’s Mothers and Child II (2025), works by Frida Orupabo and photographs by Lindokuhle Sobekwa. Arthur Jafa’s The White Album (2018), jointly owned with the National Gallery of Canada and the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, also entered the collection. These acquisitions extend its engagement with moving images, sculptural bodies, photographic memory and the politics of representation. Acquisition announcements describe the holdings; they do not guarantee that each work will be displayed during a particular visit.
Defining Works: Koons, Hirst and Sherman
Several works offer useful starting points for understanding the collection’s wider character. Jeff Koons’s Michael Jackson and Bubbles (1988) translates a celebrity image into porcelain. Part of his Banality series, it brings popular imagery into contact with decorative traditions and questions of taste. Its appeal is bound up with the uncertainty of the encounter: what makes an object desirable, culturally respectable or worthy of a museum?
Damien Hirst’s Mother and Child (Divided) (1993) introduces a very different material vocabulary: a cow and calf, formaldehyde solution, glass and steel. Acquired in 1996, it established an important relationship between Hirst and the museum. The work belongs to an artistic practice in which preservation, bodily existence and mortality remain inseparable questions.
Cindy Sherman’s photographs offer another route into the collection. Her Untitled Film Still from 1978 belongs to a practice built around staged identities and recognisable visual conventions. Sherman’s invented scenes evoke cinema without reproducing particular films. Their familiarity invites viewers to consider how quickly an image can suggest a personality, a social role or an entire story. The museum’s online collection catalogue provides a useful companion before and after a visit; the current display should always be checked separately.
Beatriz González
Early October offers the final opportunity to see Beatriz González, which opened on 12 June and closes on Sunday 11 October 2026. Bringing together more than 150 works, the retrospective follows the Colombian artist’s practice from the 1960s onwards. González, who lived from 1932 to 2026, drew on images encountered through everyday life: reproductions of celebrated paintings, newspaper photographs and accounts of conflict, violence and loss.
Her bold colours and graphic forms carry questions about whose experiences become visible and how images distribute power. Painting, prints and furniture objects—including beds, tables and televisions—form part of her expanded artistic vocabulary. The exhibition connects these material experiments with concerns rooted in Colombia and resonant internationally, including displacement and the lives of Indigenous communities. It was co-produced with Pinacoteca de São Paulo and the Barbican Centre in London; the Oslo presentation is curated by Solveig Øvstebø.
Material Shifts
From Friday 13 November 2026 to Sunday 28 February 2027, Material Shifts fills the galleries of the museum’s exhibition building with contemporary sculpture. Curated by Owen Martin and Steinar Sekkingstad, it approaches sculpture through translation: the movement from an idea into physical form, from one material into another, or from an ordinary object into a new context. The premise encourages attention to processes and transformations as well as finished objects.
The participating artists are Olga Balema, Katinka Bock, Ludovica Carbotta, Rhea Dillon, Miho Dohi, Vincent Fecteau, Ane Mette Hol, Brad Kronz, Jean-Luc Moulène, Germain Ngoma, Kaare Ruud, Stein Rønning, Diane Simpson, Dima Srouji and Mungo Thomson. Their approaches encompass conceptual work, material investigation, repurposed objects and installations responsive to the spaces they occupy. For visitors, the exhibition offers a way to consider sculpture as something capable of transition: between dimensions, uses, meanings and states of being.
Pushwagner
A second major exhibition opens on Saturday 28 November. Pushwagner continues until Sunday 11 April 2027, introducing international audiences to the distinctive world of Norwegian artist Hariton Pushwagner (1940–2018). Curated by Live Drønen and Solveig Øvstebø, it focuses on key series from the 1970s to the 1990s and on the ways the artist revisited and reworked his own imagery.
Pushwagner’s drawings, paintings, prints and friezes use a visual language informed by popular culture, comics and science fiction. Within it, modern urban life becomes a subject of sharp scrutiny: crowded high-rise environments, social uniformity and technologically mediated warfare recur in the museum’s account of his work. The exhibition is announced as the first major museum presentation of Pushwagner in Norway since his death. Its attention to the origins and development of his images offers visitors a substantial introduction to the practice behind his recognisable visual world.
Choosing When to Visit
These dates create several distinct visiting opportunities. The first eleven days of October combine the González retrospective with the collection display. Between González’s closing and the opening of Material Shifts, the collection remains the exhibition listed for the intervening period. From 28 November, Material Shifts and Pushwagner overlap, with the collection presentation also listed through 30 December. Both temporary exhibitions continue into 2027, until Material Shifts closes on 28 February; Pushwagner then continues through 11 April. Additional spring exhibitions or revised collection displays may be announced subsequently.
Birds of Paradise: Dance, Desire and Transformation
The public programme adds another dimension to the season, bringing bodies, voices and shared activity into the museum.
On Saturday 10 October, 16:00–17:00, and Sunday 11 October, 15:00–16:00, Finnish choreographer Tiia Kasurinen presents Birds of Paradise in collaboration with CODA Oslo International Dance Festival. The performance draws connections between the courtship displays of birds, wrestling, boy bands and digital culture. Its performers inhabit hybrid, futuristic birdlike characters, exploring masculinity, desire, bodily ideals and the search for recognition. Costumes by Leevi Ikäheimo contribute to its theatrical visual language.
Separate booking pages are available for the 10 October performance and the 11 October performance. The listed prices are NOK 180 for a standard ticket and NOK 100 for students, seniors and Scenekort holders, with free tickets for museum members. Performance tickets also include admission to the museum’s exhibitions.
Beatriz González: A Closing Walkthrough with Natalia Gutiérrez
Sunday 11 October also brings a particularly relevant opportunity for English-speaking visitors: the Walkthrough with Natalia Gutiérrez, from 13:00 to 14:00. Held in English and restricted to museum members, it marks the closing of the González retrospective. Gutiérrez, a Colombian artist and art historian, worked closely with González for almost a decade as her studio manager, with responsibilities encompassing projects and archival work. She also co-curated the retrospective’s first presentation in São Paulo. Her perspective offers an unusually close connection to the artist’s practice. Visitors interested in attending should consult the museum’s membership information.
Tegnelabben: Drawing, Experimentation and Community
For teenagers, the autumn programme includes Tegnelabben, a drawing initiative for ages 13–15. Artist Joakim Thorendahl leads workshops on Saturday 17 October and Saturday 14 November, both from 13:00 to 15:30. Under the theme Den Menneskelige Kopimaskin—“The Human Photocopier”—participants experiment with enlarging images without digital assistance, working at larger scales and using drawing tools attached to sticks. Previous drawing experience is unnecessary.
The associated Tegnelabben Hangout sessions take place on Thursday 22 October and Thursday 19 November, beginning at 16:30. Museum educators support informal drawing activities and conversation. Workshops and hangouts are free, with registration through the Tegnelabben booking page. The event pages and booking system currently give different finishing times for the hangouts, so participants should confirm the end time when registering. Information is published in Norwegian; families requiring English facilitation should enquire beforehand.
The Tegnelabben autumn schedule also announces an exhibition for participants’ friends and families on Saturday 5 December 2026. This is a presentation connected to the youth programme, with attendance arrangements and timing to be confirmed through the museum. The date appears in the published Tegnelabben schedule.
What Is Political Art: Amor mundi
Two lectures in the What Is Political Art series offer more sustained discussion of individual works. On Thursday 5 November, from 17:00 to 18:00, Amor mundi brings philosopher Feroz Mehmood Shah into dialogue with Klara Lidén’s Verdebelvedere and Verdebelvedere Exit. The videos show a figure negotiating openings in a physical barrier, providing a starting point for questions about the body, urban space and our relationship with the world. Shah’s discussion connects these concerns with philosophy and the persistence of curiosity. The lecture is in Norwegian; registration and tickets are available here.
What Is Political Art: The Theology of Emptiness
On Thursday 3 December, also from 17:00 to 18:00, Shah returns for The Theology of Emptiness. This lecture takes Nairy Baghramian’s Dwindler-Prone-up as its starting point and is likewise presented in Norwegian. Both lectures are included in museum admission, with free participation for the categories specified by the museum, including members, artists, art students and ICOM members. Visitors should use the relevant registration page, including the booking link for The Theology of Emptiness.
Art Talks and Conversations in the Galleries
Alongside these dated events, the museum’s regular activities make room for different levels of familiarity with contemporary art.
For international visitors, the ten-minute Art Talks are an especially useful introduction. The published schedule offers talks from Tuesday to Saturday at 13:00, 14:00 and 15:00. They focus on a selected work or an aspect of the current exhibitions and can be conducted in Norwegian or English according to participants’ wishes. There is no additional charge beyond museum admission. A short conversation can provide a productive starting point for the rest of a visit, particularly when encountering an unfamiliar artist or medium.
Conversation is also part of the museum’s everyday gallery culture. Its museum hosts are available to discuss artworks and exhibitions. They can be recognised by black shoulder bags bearing the words “Let’s talk art”. Visitors do not need a developed interpretation before approaching them; a question about a material, a title or an unexpected detail is enough.
Guided Tours and Private Visits
The guided-tour programme currently advertises Sunday tours at 14:00 in Beatriz González and at 15:00 in the collection. These are standing programme details, with individual dates to be checked in the calendar; the González tour necessarily relates to the exhibition’s remaining run. Public tours cost NOK 50 in addition to admission and are free for members. They are normally conducted in Norwegian unless another language is specified. The same page lists baby tours on the last Friday of the month at 14:00, with the actual dates and exhibition focus to be confirmed through the calendar.
Groups can arrange a more tailored visit through the museum’s private-tour booking service. The published offer is a 50–60-minute tour for up to 30 people, priced at NOK 4,000 including admission during regular opening hours. Bookings must be made at least seven days ahead and are subject to availability. International groups should specify their language requirements when making arrangements.
Family Workshop: Making Art Together
For families, the regular Family Workshop offers a practical response to the exhibitions. The standing schedule is Sunday, 12:00–16:00, on a drop-in basis, in the education room in Building 2. Children and adults work together on creative tasks inspired by the art. Participation is included in the relevant admission arrangements, with free museum entry for visitors under 20. Individual sessions can have revised hours, so the current event listing should be checked before arrival.
Rasmusklubben: Art for Curious Children
A separate programme, Rasmusklubben, offers free art activities for children aged 5–12. Sessions are divided by age: 11:00–12:30 for ages five and six, 13:00–14:30 for ages seven and eight, and 15:00–16:30 for ages nine to twelve. Children participate with museum educators while accompanying adults remain nearby and contactable. These sessions require registration; the Rasmusklubben booking page provides the available dates. The standing programme should not be interpreted as confirmation of a session on every Saturday throughout the period.
Young Perspectives: Plot/Oslo and Blikkåpner Oslo
Young adults staying longer in Oslo may also be interested in Plot/Oslo, a free contemporary-art club for ages 18–25, organised with the National Museum and Kunstnernes Hus. Its activities include tours, artist encounters, screenings and courses. The museum also participates in Blikkåpner Oslo, whose 2026–27 programme employs young people from Oslo’s districts to develop art activities for their peers. These initiatives illuminate the museum’s relationship with the city; specific events at Astrup Fearnley during a visitor’s stay should be checked as they are announced.
Tjuvholmen Sculpture Park: Art in the Open Air
Outside, Tjuvholmen Sculpture Park extends the encounter with art into the waterfront landscape. Designed by Renzo Piano with advice from Poul Erik Tøjner, it brings sculpture into changing conditions of light and weather. The museum’s guide lists Louise Bourgeois’s Eyes (1992), Antony Gormley’s Edge II (2000), Anish Kapoor’s Untitled (1997), Ellsworth Kelly’s Untitled (Totem) (1998), Paul McCarthy’s White Snow Cake (2011), Ugo Rondinone’s MOONRISE. East. November. (2006), Franz West’s Spalt (2003), and Peter Fischli and David Weiss’s Things for a House on an Island (2005).
The park has a distinct ownership history. Kelly’s and Fischli and Weiss’s works belong to Tjuvholmen KS; the other sculptures listed by the museum belong to the Selvaag Art Collection. They are separate from the Astrup Fearnley Collection. For visitors, the park is a valuable continuation of the experience, allowing the scale and physical presence of sculpture to be considered against the open surroundings.
Finding the Museum
Planning the practical details is straightforward once the exhibition dates are settled. The museum’s address is Strandpromenaden 2, 0252 Oslo. Its position can be approached along the waterfront from Aker Brygge and Oslo City Hall; the museum’s visitor-information page provides a map and public-transport links. For particular access requirements or arrangements, contact the museum at info@afmuseet.no or +47 22 93 60 60.
Opening Hours and Holiday Visits
The published regular opening hours are Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 12:00–17:00; Thursday, 12:00–19:00; and Saturday and Sunday, 11:00–17:00. The museum is normally closed on Mondays. Thursday therefore offers a later visit, while weekends allow an earlier start. The final date covered by this article, Monday 12 April 2027, falls on the normal closing day. Pushwagner’s announced final day is Sunday 11 April.
Christmas and Easter require separate attention. The museum’s published holiday hours state that it will be closed on 23–26 December 2026, 28 December, 31 December and 1 January 2027. It will open from 12:00 to 17:00 on 27 December and on 29–30 December. For Easter 2027, opening hours are 12:00–17:00 on Thursday 25 March and Friday 26 March, and 11:00–17:00 on Saturday 27 March and Sunday 28 March. It will be closed on Easter Monday, 29 March.
Admission and Booking
Current general admission is NOK 180 for adults and NOK 100 for students and seniors. Visitors under 20, museum members and Oslo Pass holders receive free admission. During exhibition changes, the visitor page lists reduced admission of NOK 130 for adults and NOK 80 for students and seniors. These are the prices published at the time of research; event-specific conditions and future prices should be checked when booking.
For exhibition visits, use the museum’s official ticket page. At the time of research, it links to the TicketCo admission calendar for the exhibition period ending 11 October 2026. Visitors planning later dates should return to the official ticket page for the appropriate admission product. Performances, lectures and registered workshops should be booked through their own links, as outlined above.
Membership: A Reason to Return
For repeat visitors, annual membership includes exhibition admission, complimentary Sunday tours, invitations to openings and member activities, and museum-shop discounts. The DUO option allows a member to bring a guest. Membership may be particularly relevant to those spending an extended period in Oslo or wishing to attend the González closing walkthrough.
Beyond the Galleries
An unhurried visit leaves room for the collection, a temporary exhibition and a walk outside. Add a talk or performance and the museum can become the centre of an afternoon. The museum shop offers art books, exhibition catalogues, prints, design objects and products developed in connection with the programme—useful ways to continue reading and looking after leaving the galleries.
The strongest reason to make time for Astrup Fearnley is the possibility of carrying a question away from it. A familiar photograph may begin to seem constructed; an ordinary material may reveal unexpected expressive force; a drawn city may sharpen one’s attention to the real city outside. Leave some space in the itinerary for that afterlife of the visit. The walk back along the waterfront belongs to the experience too.