Sigmund Aarseth

We all mourn the loss of an extraordinary man and artist, Sigmund Aarseth, who passed away on December 12. Vesterheim has benefited from both his talent and his warmth for almost 50 years. He was the very first—and over time easily the most influential—rosemaling instructor to teach at the museum. He also taught landscape painting and interior mural design. He and his longtime American collaborator Sallie Haugen DeReus painted murals and decoration throughout Vesterheim’s Amdal-Odland Heritage Center, especially its breathtaking Gathering Room, and also in the museum’s Bruening Visitor Center. His loss is profoundly mourned by everyone at Vesterheim and by practitioners and aficionados of rosemaling everywhere.

Check here for a letter from Sallie Haugen DeReus about the Sigmund Aarseth Norwegian Instructor Endowment.

Check here to watch a video of Sigmund painting.