Olaf Willums

Olaf Willums (25 April 1886 – 25 February 1967) was a Norwegian painter and printmaker.

Biography He was born in Porsgrunn as a son of assurance director Olaf Karenius Abrahamsen (1853–1936) and Caroline Marie Halvorsen (1855–1925). In July 1915 in Hemne Municipality he married painter Signy Hassel (1879-1959). In 1916 he changed his surname to Willums.

He originally worked as an engineer, graduating from Skiensfjorden Mechanical Vocational School in 1904 and a technical college in Germany in 1907. He worked as a turbine constructor at Amme Giesecke & Konegen in Braunschweig from 1908 to 1912.

He then attended the Norwegian National Academy of Fine Arts where he studied under Halfdan Strøm and Christian Krohg from 1912 to 1913 and the Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry under Johan Nordhagen from 1913 to 1915. He has been described as "a very popular teacher for a whole generation of Norwegian printmakers". Willums was also active in artists' organizations. He co-founded the Association of Norwegian Printmakers in 1919, served as vice chairman and then chairman from 1925 to 1929. In 1944 he issued a book on partyfellow and painter Søren Onsager.

After the Second World War, he dedicated himself to painting. In 1958 he finally managed to exhibit the series of seven grand paintings, Draumkvædet, on which he had worked for thirty years. The National Gallery of Norway owns two paintings and some woodcuts, and his chalcographics were bought by Kupferstichkabinett, Dresden, British Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum. He also made several ex libris. Draumkvædet is owned by Porsgrunn municipality. He died in February 1967 in Eidanger Municipality.