Felicity Long
Chances are even travelers who can't tell a Picasso from a Rembrandt have seen some version of Norwegian artist Edvard Munch's famous "The Scream" painting. The memes alone -- depicting the despairing man, eyes wide, hands gripping his face -- have entered our visual lexicon, especially during these trying pandemic months. In fact, there is even a Scream emoji.
This summer, as part of a slew of art happenings in Norway, "The Scream" will move to the new Munch Museum on Oslo's waterfront, which is dedicated to the artist and 28,000 of his works -- along with those of other Norwegian, international and contemporary artists.
"The Scream" by Edvard Munch. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
The facility, whose eye-popping exterior alone will be worth a visit, will feature 11 galleries as well as a restaurant, cafe, bar, museum shop, concert halls, a cinema and event spaces.
Also new will be an Operastranda "beach," with a floating dock, a diving platform and green recreational area adjacent to the museum.
Looking ahead to next year, a new National Museum will open in Oslo, exhibiting classic, modern and contemporary art.
Meanwhile in Kristiansand, a popular cruise port in southern Norway, an old grain silo is being transformed into Kunstsilo, a museum dedicated to Nordic modern art.
The museum, set to open in 2022, will feature permanent and temporary exhibitions showcasing works from a private collection of 20th-century art, along with local works from the Sprlandets Kunstmuseum foundation.
In Vesteralen in northern Norway, a cultural museum called the Whale will open in 2023. The venue, whose exterior resembles a whale, will focus on marine life specific to its Arctic location.
Or look up at the skies at the revamped Harestua Solar Observatory, opening late 2021 to early 2022.
Billed as northern Europe's largest astronomical facility, the observatory was a research center from the '50s through the '80s, and it is currently being expanded as a visitor's center.
The observatory, which is located 45 minutes north of Oslo, will feature a nearly 5,000-square-foot planetarium as well as activities, guided tours and lectures on astronomy.
For families, the Via Ferrata Haldenkanalen will open this April, offering a venue for ziplining and climbing along what is being touted as Europe's longest suspension bridge.
Set 50 feet above the Halden Canal at the Brekke Locks, south of Oslo and close to the Swedish border, the facilities are suitable for children age 10 and older.
Finally, bringing us back to Edvard Munch, the artist's works are among the items digitized and preserved in the Arc, located on the remote island of Svalbard in the permafrost, 800 miles beyond the Arctic Circle.
The new visitor center, set to open in 2022, will also contain digitized 1,500-year-old manuscripts from the Vatican, film clips of Brazilian soccer legend Pele and the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, the largest collection of the world's seeds.
Stay abreast of Norway travel restrictions here.