Ferdinand Oscar Finne (12 October 1910 – 31 December 1999) was a Norwegian author, painter, graphic artist, theater decorator and costume designer.

Biography

He was the son of Esther Lucy Egeberg (1887–1962) and Severin Finne (1883–1953). His father was a lawyer, and his mother was the daughter of Norwegian merchant Ferdinand Julian Egeberg. Finne was the brother of the architect Hans-Gabriel Finne (1916–2012). His parents divorced while he was still a child, and his mother moved with her children to

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

. He was costume designer at

Nationaltheatret The National Theatre in Oslo () is one of Norway's largest and most prominent venues for performance of dramatic arts. History The theatre had its first performance on 1 September 1899 but can trace its origins to Christiania Theatre, which was ...

from 1935 to 1938. At the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in 1940, Finne was in London where he reported for duty at the Norwegian embassy. Finne started his career as an artist under the direction of the Austrian expressionistic painter

Oskar Kokoschka Oskar Kokoschka (1 March 1886 – 22 February 1980) was an Austrian artist, poet, playwright and teacher, best known for his intense expressionistic portraits and landscapes, as well as his theories on vision that influenced the Viennese Expre ...

(1886–1980) in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. He subsequently studied at the National Art Academy in

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

with Norwegian artists Per Krogh and Jean Heiberg. After a stay in Paris, with

Fernand Léger Joseph Fernand Henri Léger (; February 4, 1881 – August 17, 1955) was a French painting, painter, sculpture, sculptor, and film director, filmmaker. In his early works he created a personal form of cubism (known as "tubism") which he gradually ...

, he had his artist debut in 1954. He wrote on art in various newspapers and magazines, and published a number of books. In 1990, Finne had a very successful solo exhibition at the

Henie Onstad Kunstsenter The Henie Onstad Kunstsenter is an art museum located at Høvikodden in Bærum municipality in Akershus, Akershus county, Norway. It is situated on a headland jutting into the Oslofjord, approximately southwest of Oslo. History The artcentre ...

. He was decorated Knight, First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav in 1991. From around 1960 he lived for 25 years on the Spanish island of

Ibiza Ibiza (; ; ; #Names and pronunciation, see below) or Iviza is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is 150 kilometres (93 miles) from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of th ...

. Ferdinand Finne died at

in 1999. He is represented in the

National Gallery of Norway The National Gallery () is a gallery in Oslo, Norway. Since 2003 it is administratively a part of the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design. History It was established in 1842 following a parliamentary decision from 1836. Originally lo ...

with several art works.

Private Life

Finne was for a short time in a relationship with the Austrian émigré actor Anton Walbrook, whom he had met in 1938 on a train ride in France. The relationship ended in 1946 after Walbrook began an affair with the Englishman Eugene Edwards.

Selected writings

*''Store motekonger'', 1939 *''Øya og huset'', 1956 *''Den grønne lagune. En pastorale'', 1967 *''Såvidt jeg husker'', 1974 *''En krans av greske øyer'', 1977 *''Veien blir til mens du går'', 1985 *''Så vidt jeg husker – og litt til'', 1986 *''Vandrer mot en annen strand. En reise mellom øyer, en bok om tro og kunst'', 1990 *''Ringer i et hav. En krans av greske øyer'', 1991 *''Sangen om Sørlandet. Historien om en øy og et hus'', 1993 *''Blå elefant – ekko fra India'', 1998

References

1910 births 1999 deaths Artists from Oslo 20th-century Norwegian painters Norwegian male painters 20th-century Norwegian writers 20th-century Norwegian male writers 20th-century Norwegian male artists {{norway-writer-stub