More Democracy more Openness

It is Sunday in the first week of the trial against the mass murderer from 22/7 last year. The slogan more democracy, more openness was fully shown in Oslo City Hall today. The "Tourist in own city" campaign  used the City Hall for stands and information, but we could walk around completely without seeing any security guards or men in uniforms. Maybe they were personnel guarding the venue in civil, but the feeling of an open house was paramount. Hopefully we have taken back our city from last year´s terror.

 In addition to visit some of the stands, we took the opportunity to walk around the different halls in the building including galleries and closely study the decorations and frescos.
The first one can be found at the beginning of the staircase from first floor and up to the galleries. It show St.Halvard and his woman.

 On the east side of the building we find the Banquet Hall with portraits of the royal family. Here our late King Haakon VII. I have posted from this hall earlier when we celebrated the first heart transplantation together with the Major of Oslo in November 2008

 The art-tour continuous out on the gallery above the main hall and Alf Rolfsen´s "Eventyret" (the adventure) on the north wall.

 From there we can enter the East Gallery decorated by Per Krogh (also known from the UN Security Council Hall). A strange room.

 Between the east and west gallery is the City Council Hall. The vast tapestry of Else Poulsson, one of the building´s architects niece is on the wall behind the Major´s chair. 
Central on the carpet thrones Oslo's St. Hallvard over the seven virtues, and the life in Oslo at the bottom. 
The artist's desire was that this design should remind the city's politicians on ethics and good governance principles in the decisions they make.

 Like the east gallery the Western Gallery is covered with frescos from floor to ceiling. Here is a section of Åge Storstein´s fresco with the Book of Human Rights

 The visiting tour for us this Sunday continued through the Present Gallery where different gifts from other cities in Norway and foreign visitors are shown. Here is the present from the King of Thailand.

 This room of 100 square meters on top of the staircase, is called the Munch Hall because the painting "Livets tre" by Edvard Munch is placed there. The previous owner was Thomas Olsen which son now is selling "The Screem" at Sotheby´s in New York.
In this Hall I was married to Tullen in 1977.

At the extension to the south of the main hall an interesting painting by one of my favorite painters from mid 1900, Reidar Aulie, has been given place for his work "Development of the Labour Class".
Another painter from the same period Arne Ekeland was refused when he wanted to decorate the other wall with the painting Sisters of Freedom. This painting is now part of the art at the Parliament.

These two sections are from the left and right corner of the painting. From poverty to social democratic life in the fifties. Looking as a place like my cottage at Solvang, and not yet an Oil producing country.