The statue of Olav Selvaag

In the model the statue stands in front of a concrete portal on Olav Selvaags plass on Odden, where Tjuvholmen allé runs through the square. He is looking up the street.

The sculptor Merete Sejersted Bødtker won the competition for the statue, ahead of 34 other artists. The statue is in bronze, stands on Iddefjord granite and is framed by a concrete structure. The frame is meant to evoke Selvaag's life and work.

The artist wanted to show an informal, down-to-earth Olav Selvaag, standing in the doorway and welcoming people in.

Olav Selvaag (1912–2002) was an engineer and house builder. After the war he developed new, rational and affordable building methods, and the “Ekeberghuset” house from 1948 introduced solutions that later became standard in Norwegian homes.

The company he founded was behind the development of Tjuvholmen, together with Aspelin Ramm. Selvaag started the tradition of sculptures in residential areas, first at Veitvet in 1958, and most of the works in the sculpture park are on loan from the Selvaag Art Collection.

• The square opened in 2007 and is named after Olav Selvaag.
• The memorial plaque bears one of his sayings: “If all else fails, try common sense!”

The statue stands on Olav Selvaags plass on Odden, the first part of Tjuvholmen you reach when coming from Aker Brygge. The square is open to everyone.