Art - Monument to Knut Olai Thornæs

Artist: Odd Hilt (1955).

Knut Olai Thornæs (1874–1945) came to Trondheim as a young typesetter, eventually becoming the editor of the newspaper Ny Tid (New Era). He was also for several years a member of the city council and the city executive board. He composed music and wrote workers' songs and choir works. On the back side on the sculpture, a young woman (one of the muses) sits with a musical instrument. The sculpture has also been called Frem mot vold og barbari (Forward against Violence and Barbarians), reflecting a line in the Norwegian Communist song Frem kamerater (Forward, Comrades!). The artist was a Communist, and his political commitment appears in many of his works. The sculpture was unveiled on 5 May 1955, the local Music and Song Day.

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Text descriptions of art made before the year 2000 are taken from the book 'Skulpturguiden for Trondheim' by Anne Grønli and Grethe Britt Fredriksen. Text descriptions of art made after the year 2000 are written by Per Christiansen.