Nils Aas

Nils Aas was born in Inderøy, in Nord-Trøndelag County, Norway. He grew up in a family of prominent carpenters and furniture makers. He learned woodworking from an early age and made his first sculpture at 16. He studied at the Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry from 1954 to 1958, and then under sculptors Nils Flakstad and Per Palle Storm. He also worked as an assistant to the abstract sculptor Arnold Haukeland, who influenced his style. He became one of the most prominent artists in modern Norwegian sculpture and is particularly well known for his statue of Haakon VII, located in the June Seventh Square in Oslo, and for designing coins for Norwegian currency, including 10- krone and 20-krone coins. He also made many other public sculptures, such as Hjalmar Andersen at Bislett Stadium, Oslo, and Fridtjof Nansen at the Norwegian Polar Institute, Tromsø. He received several awards and honors, such as the Oslo City Culture Prize in 1972, the Knight of the Order of St. Olav in 1990, and the Per Palle Storms Award in 2001. He died in Oslo in 2004, at the age of 70. His works are displayed in many museums and galleries, such as the National Gallery of Norway, the Henie Onstad Art Centre, and the Nils Aas Art Workshop, which he founded in his hometown in 1996.