Rough seas at two famed museums

Both the Norwegian Maritime Museum and its neighboring Kon-Tiki Museum in Oslo have been navigating through stormy seas the past year, rocked by financial and personnel problems respectively. While the Kon-Tiki Museum faces smoother sailing, the Maritime Museum appears stuck in crisis. Newspaper Dagens Næringsliv (DN) reported earlier this week that the Maritime Museum has [...]

Heyerdahl’s theories win support

Thor Heyerdahl, arguably Norway’s most famous explorer, had to endure a lot of criticism over his theories of migration in the South Pacific and elsewhere but genetic testing and new research may help prove him right. Heyerdahl, who died in 2002, mounted his famed expedition on his Kon-Tiki raft to prove that Polynesia could have [...]

New ‘Kon-Tiki’ film unveils cast

UPDATED: Work on a new film about legendary Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl is moving into high gear, 60 years after the first Kon-Tiki film won the Oscar for best documentary. Cast members of the new version, which will center on Heyerdahl himself, were introduced on Tuesday in front of the original Kon-Tiki raft, still on [...]

Views and News’ Museum Guide

Norway’s capital is packed with museums, and they’re often popping up in the news. We intend to follow that news, and focus every week this spring on a specific museum worthy of a visit. THIS WEEK: The Kon-Tiki Museum, where a new exhibit on his Ra expedition opens April 28. It’s been more than 60 [...]

Kon-Tiki set to sail on the screen

A major new film  that will dramatize Norwegian Thor Heyerdahl’s famed Kon-Tiki expedition has won financial support, just as Heyerdahl’s grandson sets off on a new expedition himself. Olav Heyerdahl is part of the crew on a unique raft called the Plastiki.  The Kon-Tiki expedition in 1947 captured international attention in a post-war world, became the [...]