NorskThe Artist Church is unique with its colourful decoration by the “Holmsbu painters”. From the outside it looks like any other wooden church in the country. Inside it is a firework of art, unlike any other church art. In Holmsbu Church, doubt and faith, struggle and hope meet. In the summer, the church is open to the public and hosts musical events by appraised artists.
During the summer months, there is both an open church and many cultural events in the artists' church itself and in the cultural chapel in the cemetery. The chapel also has exhibitions that show more of the artists in the Holmsbu colony than you can see in the Holmsbu Art Museum and in the church. Tours for larger and smaller groups are available all year round.
There was a time gap in Holmsbu when artists began to occupy the place from 1911. The small community supported itself mostly from fishing and seafaring, and lived in simple conditions. Rich people from Drammen and Oslo had discovered Holmsbu, but kept to themselves, and often stayed at the seaside hotel. Now the artists flocked, eventually under the leadership of Henrik Sørensen. In the summers, up to 50 artists could be found with brushes and palettes on the rocky cliffs and in the forest. One would think that the cultural collision was complete, but instead there was a warm meeting between the leading artistic and cultural figures of the time.
The church in Holmsbu was the pride of the local people. It was built in 1887 on the initiative of the women's association, which raised money and persuaded forest owners in the area to donate timber for the building. When the men were home from the sea, they had to volunteer. In 1954, the church needed to be renovated, and Henrik Sørensen took the initiative to have artists decorate the church as a thank you to the local people for the welcome they had received. The municipality did not have the money to support the project, so Sørensen traveled to Oslo and collected a leftover stock of plates that had been used for the decorations in Oslo City Hall, for which he had been responsible. The nearly 20 artists who participated were a true mix of Christians, atheists, Catholics and Protestants. Most of them had no experience with sacred art. Sørensen was content to decide on an overall color scheme: the red color of love on the walls of the nave, and green as a symbol of hope in the choir section. Otherwise, the artists were given free rein.
At first glance, the result is a confusing mix of completely different motifs and styles. But those who look closer see that there is still a common thread in the decoration. It is about doubt and faith, and about what happens when the biblical story is allowed to unfold in Holmsbu.
Guided tours of the church is offered all year. For a guided tour contact Linda LM895@kirken.no / 95047416