Sverre Fehns museumsteori

Sverre Fehn and his theory of exhibitions In the 17th century a large barn was erected on the ruins of a medieval bishop's residence at Hamar in Norway. Today it has been transformed into a historical museum, Storhamarlåven. The exhibition of historical objects has been designed by the famous architect Sverre Fehn. In this paper, which is a chapter in a more extensive study of Fehn, the author analyses the exhibition against the background of Fehn's own writings and statements made in press interviews. The author finds that Fehn in his adherence to modernism, is akin to Elias Cannetti who has characterized 'history' as an old vampire sucking the blood out of young people's brains and who argues that people who do not make their way out of history are irretrievably lost. How can Fehn combine the modernistic rejection of everything with a taste for history and nationalism with the museological responsibility to further identity and factual historical information? Both aims to be achieved through the medium of material objects.