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About the collections

The collection at Siljustøl

The collection left by Harald Sæverud and his wife Marie Hvoslef consists of a number of furniture, art objects, sheet music, manuscripts, and other treasures.

In 1984, the Siljustøl estate and a part of the house was bequeathed to the "Marie Hvoslef and Harald Sæverud foundation for the promotion of Norwegian music and the visual arts", two years after Marie Hvoslef’s death.

In 1993, the estate and the museum part of the building was transferred to Bergen municipality, and Siljustøl opened as a museum in 1997. Siljustøl is today stewarded by Kode.

The collection from the Sæverud couple includes instruments and music-historical treasures and visual art as well as bits and pieces naturally belonging in a home.

You'll find a broad collection of art and interior objects, furniture from different periods, and personal items like children’s art and gifts.

The study, grand piano and personal belongings are as Harald Sæverud left them when he died in 1992.

Part of the Sæverud collection is various instruments, like his grandfather’s violin, flutes and other types of wind instruments, and his personal grand piano and piano.

The Sæverud couple were enthusiastic art collectors throughout their lifetime and the house is filled with visual art, handicraft, and designer interior.

Norwegian artists Ansgar Larssen and Joronn Sitje are on display and various portraits of Harald and Marie Sæverud—photos, drawings, and paintings—hang in the different rooms.

In the dining room there is a large painting of the couple’s three sons, painted by Bjørn Tvedt during the war years. Daughter-in-law Inger Merethe Sævereud has also produced several paintings.

The ceramics of the time are also very much present in the house, like works from artists such as Norway’s leading ceramist Jens von der Lippe and not least the local ceramist couple Odd and Kari Gjerstad.

You also find children’s art and drawings from their grandchildren around the house.

En skulptur i keramikk av en ugle, som står på en bokhylle.

Foto: Thor Brødreskift

Fra spisestuen på Siljustøl, hvor vi ser et bord og stoler midt i rommet med hvitmalte vegger, og et maleri av tre gutter henger på veggen i bakgrunnen.

Siljustøl: Fra spisestuen / The dining room. Foto: Dag Fosse / Kode

En skulptur av en kvinnefigur i keramikk, som svever hengende fra taket.

Foto: Thor Brødreskift

Detaljer fra arbeidsbordet til Harald Sæverud. Vi ser blant annet en liten flaske med en urt oppi, flere brillepar og fotografier.

Foto: Thor Brødreskift

Sæverud was fascinated with the use of herbs and alternative medicine—he drank seawater daily and there are small pots of herbs in his study.

Sæverud himself draw and chose the colours for the dining room furniture. He was very much involved in the design of both the house and the interior and worked actively on the details with the architect and craftsmen.

In the dining room there is a Japanese cabinet, which makes a contrast to the objects of local origin. It was a wedding present from the Hvoslef family in the USA.

Vindu i storstuen på Siljustøl, med røde og gule vevde gardiner, og en byste av Harald Sæverud.

Siljustøl. Foto: Thor Brødreskift

A newer examination also shows that the orange and yellow curtains in the hall at Siljustøl are woven after the original from the famous Bauhaus designer Otti Berger, who designed several patterns for fabrics sold at Sundt department store in Bergen.

The couple left a substantial book collection. The publication "Billig mat i krisetider" (“Inexpensive food in times of crisis”) gives us an interesting insight into how the war affected all social classes, as do Marie Hvoslef’s diaries where advice concerning radioactive fallout and first aid are noted.

A part of Sæverud’s manuscripts is placed in the music collection at Bergen Public Library. In addition, an extensive collection of the couple’s papers, letters and sheet music have not yet been fully scientifically examined. 

Fra biblioteket på Siljustøl, hvor en lenestol er plassert i en krok mellom bokhyller fulle av bøker. Vi ser også en byste av Harald Sæverud.

Biblioteket på Siljustøl / The library at Siljustøl. Foto: Thor Brødreskift

Et rødt omslag på et manuskript, med tittelen Rondo Amoroso.

Siljustøl. Foto: Thor Brødreskift

Et brunt piano med et oppslått noteark, og flere grå esker plassert oppå pianoet.

Foto: Thor Brødreskift