01.04.2022
Stein Olav Henrichsen has been the Chairman of the Board of Sørlandets Kunstmuseum/Kunstsilo since 2018. Following a recommendation from the administration, the Museum’s Board has entered into an agreement with Henrichsen that he will become the working chairman in the efforts to develop and implement Kunstsilo’s international strategy for the Tangen Collection.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for Kunstsilo. With his expertise and the unique international network he has built up over the many years he held the position of Director at the Munch Museum, Stein Olav Henrichsen occupies an exceptional position in Norway. Kunstsilo shall administer and raise the profile of the Tangen Collection, which comprises the world’s largest collection of Nordic modernist art. As an art institution that possesses a great international potential, Henrichsen’s assistance is strategically important for us,” says board member Arvid Grundekjøn on behalf of the Board of Sørlandets Kunstmuseum/Kunstsilo.
Stein Olav Henrichsen will be engaged in this capacity for two years and he will work closely with the rest of the museum’s management. He will report to Kunstsilo’s Board and this position will be financed by the AKO Foundation.
“Chairman of the Board Stein Olav Henrichsen and Managing Director Reidar Fuglestad did not participate due to a conflict of interest when the Board took this matter into consideration and came to its decision during the special Board meeting held on 29 August. I was the one who led the Board’s handling of it and the Board gave its positive endorsement,” explains Grundekjøn.
“I’m looking forward to diving into the tasks with the aim of contributing to the positioning of Kunstsilo in the national and international art scene. Kunstsilo will become an international nexus and centre of gravity within Nordic modernism and my duties will primarily revolve around facilitating collaborations with central prestigious institutions as well as international research being done on Nordic modernism at museums and universities,” says Stein Olav Henrichsen, working Chairman of the Board at Kunstsilo.
Stein Olav Henrichsen in brief
Stein Olav Henrichsen (b. 1954) was from 2010 to 2022 Director of the Munch Museum in Oslo. In his period a new museum for the Munch collection was build and a new organisation was established. The visiting numbers went from 100 000 annually to 1,4 million, and the numbers of employees went from 50 to 620. Stein Olav began his professional life as a musician, and after finishing music education, he worked as a professional musician for eighteen years working in several disciplines. In 1989 he established the contemporary music ensemble BIT20 which he led for 20 years. He left performing to become the artistic and administrative leader of Opera Vest (1993-2005) and later Bergen National Opera (2005-2010). Stein has established and led several cultural institutions and networks. He has had several positions in private and public Boards, amongst them Chairman of the Board of Ultima, Oslo Contemporary Music Festival (2000-2011), Chairman of the Board of Sørlanderts Kunstmuseum in Kristiansand (2018-) and Opera Østfold (2020-). He is a board member of the Nobel Prize Museum in Stockholm, Sweden. He has participated in several public committees and has wide experience from international collaboration and international development projects. He now works as an adviser in art management and building projects in the arts.
Kunstsilo in brief
Kunstsilo is an award-winning former grain silo located on the island of Odderøya in Kristiansand, Norway. It is now being transformed into one of Northern Europe’s most innovative centres for art and art experiences. The museum will house the Tangen Collection, which is the world’s largest collection of Nordic modernist art, as well as Sørlandets Kunstmuseum’s permanent collection. In addition, Kunstsilo will act as a platform for international digital contemporary art and temporary exhibitions, and it will feature an extensive programme of lectures, concerts, culinary experiences, workshops, banqueting rooms and events. Kunstsilo will be ready for occupancy in early November 2023 and the opening is planned for the spring of 2024.
