Considering that the Fearnley family foundation running Hans' museum is also tied up with the Fearnley family's well-heeled shipping company (which, itself, is interlocked in the oil business), it all leaves a pretty unctuous taste in your mouth.Ĭan't emphasize this enough, though: The museum has some great art. After opening the Astrup Fearnley Museet in 1993 in Oslo, descendants of the famous Norwegian 19th Century romantic landscape painter Thomas Fearnley (1802.

In 2015, the museum lent a helping hand to Lundin by getting artists represented throughout its collection to doll up one of the oil company's deepwater drilling rigs. Well, yeah, problem solved right?Īstrup Fearnley and Lundin Norge (the company's hand in the Norwegian economy's cookie jar) have their ties running deep. Lundin has provided hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in support to the museum. Astrup Fearnley's got a firm position on the matter: Lundin hasn't been convicted of wrongdoing, and none of the Lundin folk in Norway that the museum corresponds with were involved in the purported Sudan debacle anyway. The company's actions are alleged to have indirectly lead to around 10,000 deaths. The Sweden-based company is accused of war crimes involving ' hiring warlords' in Sudan (now, South Sudan) for access to oil fields. Minor controversy bloomed, however, after the Astrup Fearnley's recent move to a new location The museum started taking money from oil company Lundin Petroleum. The museum's been a staple of Oslo since 1993. The museum itself is run by two Fearnley family funds - one started by Hans and named in honor of his parents and the other named in honor of Thomas Fearnley the artist's grandson, Thomas 'Hat Trick' Fearnley - that merged together a few years ago to spearhead efforts to safeguard the family's legacy of collecting and displaying art. Hans' family fortunes trace back to close relative Thomas Fearnley, businessman and son of popular 18th century art icon Thomas Fearnley. The Astrup Fearnley houses the personal collection of edgy, if sometimes hilarious contemporary art owned by Norwegian billionaire Hans Astrup. involving oilmen that are alleged war criminals. Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art is a family affair.

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