In 2015, by way of his charitable endeavor AKO Foundation, Tangen gifted his collection to his hometown. Today, the works make up a significant portion of Kunstsilo’s permanent collection. Housed in a recently refurbished grain silo on Kristiansand’s harborside, Kunstsilo aims to be a monumental hub for artistic exploration and community involvement, and will open on May 11 with the exhibition ‘Passions of the North,’ showcasing over 700 works from the Tangen Collection.
‘My mother studied art history, so she dragged us along to all the museums in the world when I was a child. At least that was what it felt like at the time. Of course, it’s extremely boring in the beginning. But then at some stage, the whole thing just kind of clicks.
‘I began collecting art 30 years ago. Most people, when they start to collect, begin with pieces made close to home, because that’s what we’re familiar with. So I began by collecting work by Norwegian artists, then we added Danish and Swedish art. 10 years ago, we added works from Finland, which is now the biggest collection of Finnish art outside Finland.
‘Before doing a master’s degree in art history, I had been collecting for quite some time, and reading a lot about the various artists I was interested in, but I felt the need to organize and develop my thoughts. So I spent 2 years at the Courtauld Institute in London – 1 year doing a survey course, and then the second year doing an MA.
