The painter of Lofoten, Gunnar Berg

Gallery Gunnar Berg, named after the painter with the same name, is located on Svinøya in Svolær. Here you can experience one of Northern Norway’s most known painters throughout time. The gallery has the world’s largest collection of paintings and sketches by Gunnar Berg which have been collected by his relative John Berg throughout his life. Gunnar Berg’s most famous work, “Trollfjordslaget”, is to be found here.

All paintings and sketches, dated from the end of the 19th century, are all of the memorable scenery and a unique collection of the everyday life of the local fishermen in Lofoten during this time. You can also find a number of portraits in the gallery.

Gunnar Berg was born in Svolvær on May 21st, 1863, he was the oldest of 12 children. His father, Lars Thodal Walnum Berg, was a landlord and a merchant who owned half of Svolvær and had his residence on Svinøya.

Landlord or artist?

Gunnar was only young when he showed his skills in drawing but as the eldest son, his duty was to take over after his father when the time came. When Gunnar was 12 years old he attended the Cathedral School in Trondheim whilst he also studied drawing and painting. In 1881, he returned home to Svolvær where he worked for his father during the winter season. In the autumn in 1882, Gunnar attended business school in Bergen, and also here did he do drawing and painting lessons on the side.

Painter Adelsten Norman, who was also a dear friend of Gunnar Bergs father, L.T.W. Berg, was a skilled draftsman and painter and knew that it was no use in fighting against Gunnar’s calling. With his father’s blessing, Gunnar Berg quit the business school in Bergen and traveled to Dusseldorf in February 1883. He studied here for over two years, and in one of the letters received from his father it said;

‘You must decide whether you want to continue to explore the artistic side of you or come home and become a ‘real man’. Becoming something half, whether it is a businessman or painter, is the worst of all’

Gunnar had decided. He wanted to become the painter of Lofoten, and with his parents’ help, they built his studio in 1887 on Svinøya, which was home.

In the years that followed, Gunnar traveled extensively and studied in both Berlin and Paris. But during the fishing season and in the summers, he was often at home in Svolvær, where he used sketchbook and camera diligently. Gunnar Berg participated in his first exhibition in Düsseldorf in 1887. He received excellent feedback, and in the following years, he was represented at a number of exhibitions at home and abroad. Here in Norway, he held his first exhibition in Kristiania (today Oslo) in 1889, where 146 of his paintings and drawings were well received.

Gunnar Berg's earliest paintings are characterized by his stay in Düsseldorf. This school was known for the dark brownish undertones. Whilst elsewhere in Germany and in Paris, the alfresco method was more in use. Gunnar became influenced by this on his travels and his later paintings are lighter in tone and have greater freshness. He never got tired of painting the Nordland boats with his beautiful lines and characteristic colors. His paintings show the harmony of the fishing fleet and the scenery around.

Recognition as a painter

However, it was not only the art critics and art experts who appreciated him. The fishermen he portrayed also looked at Berg with admiration and respect. The Nordic painter Einar Berger, who grew up in Finnkroken outside Tromsø in the 1890s, has told that the fishermen who had been in the Lofoten Islands talked about Gunnar Berg. Many had heard of him, some had seen his paintings, and some had even seen Gunnar Berg himself in action.

Already in his youth, Gunnar Berg struggled with pain in his right leg. In 1887 he was operated for the first time but only after several subsequent surgeries, were they able to state that he had cancer. In autumn 1893, they amputated his leg, and later in winter, whilst Gunnar was staying in Berlin he suffered from severe flu and pneumonia. Adelsten Normann sent after Gunnar’s father and brother Einar who arrived in Berlin on the evening of 23rd of December. Unfortunately, Gunnar had died earlier the same day. His coffin was brought home from Berlin and he is buried at the family burial site at Gunnarholmen, Svinøya.

Adelsten Normann’s daughter, Emma (1871-1954), took care of Gunnar Berg during his final time in Berlin before he passed. It is said that Gunnar promised her one of his largest paintings as a thank you for looking after him. Gunnar Berg tried to sell “Trollfjordslaget” but he never felt the right price was achieved, therefore he started a lottery where the painting was the main prize. Emma Nordmann bought a ticket and won, the lottery wasn’t drawn until after Gunnar Berg’s death. The painting was then placed on the estate of the Normann family in Balestrand, and in 1945 Emma gave the work to the municipality of Svolvær. The painting is today owned by the municipality of Vågan (previously Svolvær), but its permanent home is in Gallery Gunnar Berg on Svinøya. There are daily boat trips to Trollfjorden from Svolvær.

Died way too young

Despite the fact that Gunnar Berg died only 30 years old, he left behind a large number of paintings, drawings, and sketches, most of them from Lofoten. From Reine in the west to the top of Raftsundet in the east. Gunnar Berg was also an accomplished photographer and took hundreds of photos, some of which are preserved.

We hope the story of the painter of Lofoten inspires you to visit and explore Gallery Gunnar Berg on Svinøya during your stay in the Lofoten Islands.

If you spend the night in The Manor House on Svinøya you can even sleep in Gunnar Berg’s old bedroom. The studio built stills stands today. It is painted in white and you can easily see the tower where he often sat and painted. If you follow Gunnar Berg's way out towards the pier in Svolvær, you pass Gunnarholmen on the left. Here you have a bust of the painter, and a little further is the gravesite where he is buried.

Welcome to Svinøya Rorbuer - with stories to tell!