Unknown authors (Soviet prisoners of war in Norway), 1941–1945
A selection of objects from the collection of the Guttormsgaards archive
Guttormgaards arkiv (the Guttormsgaard archive) is an independent art institution built around the lifelong collecting practice of the artist Guttorm Guttormsgaard (1938–2019). The archive spans from major names such as Hannah Ryggen and Edvard Munch to Japanese woodcuts, rare avant-garde magazines and handwritten Bibles and Qurans. It is located in the former dairy of Blaker, 30 min away from Oslo by train. Their exhibition programme reflects a particular interest in artistic publishing and experimental approaches to collecting, history and pedagogy. When Guttorm Guttormsgaard wished for “a broader and more inclusive history of art,” he wanted to change both what was included under the rubric of art and how art was presented.
For the exhibition Passing Motherhood, curator and art historian Ellef Prestsæter, the artistic director of Guttormgaards arkiv, prepared a selection of wooden toys and figures made by Soviet prisoners of war in Norway, still an insufficiently covered topic of Norwegian history. As Prestsæter writes in his essay “Beautiful Objects of Resistance,” approximately 100,000 Soviet prisoners of war were brought to Norway by the German occupiers between 1941–45, and held in more than 500 camps across the country. Objects such as wooden birds and aluminum cigarette cases were crafted by the Soviet prisoners as a means of exchange for food and clothing. Prestsæter proposes to approach these objects of complicated origin through a series of collective “handling sessions” over the course of the exhibition. In such sessions, every audience member is treated as an active contributor to the past, present, and future of the objects in the spotlight.
- Yaniya Mikhalina
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Wood chip bird Carved wooden bird with painted decoration. Made by an unknown soviet prisoner of war in Norway during World War II in the period 1941-45, used as a means of exchange for food and clothing. Formed from 2 pieces of wood, head, body and tail together, and pair of wings. Width: 17.70cm. Height: 1.90cm. Depth: 15.20 cm. - 2/6
Unknown artist/soviet prisoner, Figure group in carved wood with burnished decoration. Consists of five parts: two chairs, a man, a woman and a table with book and hat. Made by a Russian prisoner of war in Norway during World War II in the period 1941-45, used as a means of exchange for food and clothing. Width: 5.00cm. Height: 5.90 cm. Depth: 3.50 cm. - 3/6
Carved wooden bird with painted decoration. The legs are made of steel wire. Made by an unknown soviet prisoner of war in Norway during World War II in the period 1941-45, used as a means of exchange for food and clothing. - 4/6
Wood chip bird. Carved wooden bird with painted decoration throughout. Made by an unknown soviet prisoner of war in Norway during World War II in the period 1941-45, used as a means of exchange for food and clothing. Formed from 2 pieces of wood, head, body and tail together, and pair of wings. Width: 38.70cm. Height: 9.50cm. Depth: 44.00 cm. - 5/6
Wood chip bird Carved wooden bird with painted decoration throughout. Made by an unknown soviet prisoner of war in Norway during World War II in the period 1941-45, used as a means of exchange for food and clothing. Formed from 2 pieces of wood, head, body and tail together, and pair of wings. Width: 19.50cm. Height: 5.30cm. Depth: 19.00 cm. - 6/6
Open Archives at the Guttormgaards arkiv. 2025. Courtesy Guttormgaards arkiv. Photo: Frank Holtschlag
About The Guttormsgaard Archive
Guttormsgaard’s Archive is an independent art institution built around the remarkable collection of the Norwegian artist Guttorm Guttormsgaard (1938–2019). It also grows out of the distinctive outreach and dissemination project Guttormsgaard developed based on his collection. The Archive has become known for its focus on alternative approaches to art history, as well as for its emphasis on artistic publishing and experimental forms of display.
Rather than taking a conventional approach, Guttormsgaard’s Archive explores broader and more inclusive narratives of art and culture. As Guttorm Guttormsgaard once stated, he envisioned “a more generous and expansive art history”—one that includes a wide range of art forms and reaches a diverse audience in lively, engaging ways.
Beyond its exhibitions, Guttormsgaard’s Archive functions as both a workshop and a learning hub. It has collaborated in recent years with institutions such as the Oslo National Academy of the Arts (KHiO), the Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO), the residency program PRAKSIS, Lillestrøm Municipality’s summer school, and Sørumsand Upper Secondary School. The on-site printmaking workshop is operated by master printers Cathrine Alice Liberg, Erika Reed, and Suzannah Rehell Øistad.
This diverse collection spans multiple categories, bringing together everything from Tater (Romani) wire crafts to works by Edvard Munch and Pablo Picasso. Pieces created by Soviet prisoners of war hold equal prominence alongside contributions from textile artist Hannah Ryggen and woodcarver Döderhultarn. The Archive’s extensive library is especially notable: it includes Norwegian and Sámi print history, handwritten Bibles and Qur’ans, Japanese woodblock prints, European incunabula and classic typography, Greenlandic newspapers, rare avant-garde magazines, and canonical artist books. Significant parts of the collection have been cataloged and can be explored through the Archive’s database. Items are also regularly loaned to exhibitions both in Norway and internationally.
Ownership of both the collection and the property belongs to the Guttormsgaard’s Archive Foundation (Stiftelsen Guttormsgaards arkiv). Daily operations are handled by the Friends of Blaker Meieri (Foreningen Blaker meieris venner), which receives organizer support from Arts Council Norway (Norsk kulturråd). Ellef Prestsæter currently serves as the artistic director (Nasjonalmeierist).
Plese visit guttormsgaardsarkiv.no for more information.
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Unknown authors (Soviet prisoners of war in Norway), 1941–1945
A selection of objects from the collection of the Guttormsgaards archive curated by Ellef Prestsæter
