Olaf Willums
Olaf Willums (1886 to 1967) was a Norwegian printmaker and painter from Porsgrunn. His extensive work in printmaking and book illustration developed alongside painting and teaching. Woodcuts for Norwegian ballads and his long engagement with Draumkvædet show how literary subjects recurred across different media.
From engineer to artist and teacher
Willums originally bore the surname Abrahamsen and formally changed his name in 1916. He first trained as an engineer in Germany but chose an artistic career in 1912. In Kristiania he studied with Christian Krohg and Halfdan Strøm and learned printmaking from Johan Nordhagen. From 1919 to 1945 he taught at the State School of Arts and Crafts in Oslo. He also helped establish Norske Grafikere in 1919.
Several approaches to printmaking
His work includes etching, drypoint, lithography and woodcut. Some prints retain detailed naturalistic description, whereas his woodcuts could adopt a more concentrated, ornamental structure. Studies of earlier European art formed part of wide-ranging interests.
The National Museum's Død furu, dated between 1921 and 1923, is catalogued as drypoint on paper, published by Norsk Forening For Grafisk Kunst. Bendik og Årolilja is a woodcut on paper with its printing dated to 1936 and Kirstes Boktrykkeri listed as publisher. Such collection records demonstrate why artist, process, printing date and publisher should be recorded separately.
Ballads, books and painting
Willums illustrated Norske folkevisor in 1936 and Valentin og vargridderen in 1937. He also produced bookplates, small printed works identifying a book's owner. Ballad material took another form in Draumkvædet: seven large paintings developed over more than three decades and exhibited together in 1958. The National Museum's Portrett of 1942, oil on wood panel measuring 41 × 32.5 cm, documents his work on a smaller scale.
Assessing an individual print
Distinguish an independent fine-art print from a book illustration and a later reproduction. Do not assume that every sheet is a lithograph or belongs to a numbered edition. Compare its subject and dimensions with documented works, and record the paper, printing characteristics, signature, inscriptions and publisher's marks. Staining, fading, tears and trimming may affect condition. A similar-looking signature and an artist's biography cannot by themselves authenticate an impression; documented ownership history and technical examination may be required.
Read more about artist signatures, provenance and ownership history.
Browse related items in our online shop.
View the OBA item listing associated with this artist (Norwegian page).
Contact OBA about selling and assessment (Norwegian page).
