KODE Art Museums
KODE Art Museums features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Bergen. Give it roughly ~90 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type museum
- Suggested visit ~90 min
- Bergen Bergen guide
About KODE Art Museums
Four museum buildings by the city lake hold Norway's second-largest art collection, including the Munch paintings a single Bergen businessman bought straight from the artist a century ago.
KODE is one of the Nordic region's larger museums of art, craft, design and music, with four buildings in central Bergen and three composer homes outside the city. The four art buildings, KODE 1 Permanenten, KODE 2, KODE 3 Rasmus Meyer and KODE 4 Lysverket, stand near the lake Lille Lungegårdsvannet. The present institution formed when the Bergen Art Museum merged with the composer homes in 2006 and was rebranded KODE in 2013. Its collections total close to 50,000 objects, Norway's second-largest art holdings after the National Museum in Oslo.
KODE 3, the Rasmus Meyer building, houses the celebrated Edvard Munch collection of more than 50 paintings and over 100 works on paper, along with much of the Norwegian collection. Designed by Ole Landmark and completed in 1924, it was built to hold the collection assembled by businessman Rasmus Meyer, whose heirs donated it to the city. International artists such as Picasso, Kandinsky and Klee also feature. KODE 4 Lysverket awaits refurbishment and currently shows only limited exhibitions.
Did you know? Rasmus Meyer bought his first Munch in 1906 and, from 1908, directly from the artist, building the collection in dialogue with Munch himself. His heirs later gave it to Bergen on condition a museum be built.
How long is a visit to KODE Art Museums?
Set aside roughly ~90 min for KODE Art Museums. That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is KODE Art Museums worth your time?
KODE Art Museums is among the 21 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Bergen, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Bergen
Sources and further reading
Where to check the facts about KODE Art Museums and read more:
Day 2 of the Bergen in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of KODE Art Museums
Preview the Bergen tour free in the Gingerguide app.