This sculpture is located near Norway Parliament building in downtown Oslo.
It depicts Sverdrup standing, bearded and as middle-aged. He wears a mid-length overcoat and his trousers are a tad too long. He holds a book to his side in his left hand and his right hand is in front of him as if he is gesturing while speaking. The work is set on a short granite plinth which has the inscription:
"JOHAN SVERDRUP
1816-1892"
A small plaque indicates that the artist is Stinius Fredriksenand it is dated 1961.
Wikipedia (
visit link) informs us:
"Johan Sverdrup (30 July 1816 - 17 February 1892) was a Norwegian politician from the Liberal Party. He was the first Prime Minister of Norway after the introduction of parliamentarism. Sverdrup was Prime Minister from 1884 to 1889...
Father of Parlamentarism
The views towards this controversial political leader will differ greatly with the political and historical affiliation of those expressing a view. It can not be denied that Sverdrup was an extremely skilled and able opposition leader and strategist whose influence of domestic politics was enormous for about 30 years. What can be said against such a viewpoint, is that most of the results of his opposition was destructive because he sold his radical and social liberal political views in order to gain influence in Jaabæk's loosely knit alliance of peasants. On the other hand one tends to forget that there was a class struggle between the peasants and the public servant and tradesmen classes, which in Norway with no nobility, were the most influential, and that Sverdrup, a public servant, joined the vast and less influential group of peasants in order to transform the society.
His weakness was his inability to bury hatchets and his apparent lack of flexibility in older age. His inability to understand the concept of parliamentarism, which seemed to be the ultimate goal of his policies. His clinging to the symbols of power can be ascribed to his age, but he was only about 70. Most historians would conclude that his fight against the king's appointed Council lasted too long. He was too old to harvest the fruits. He paved the way for a new political situation in Norway. In that lies his greatness."