In May 2024, Berit Rønsen defended her dissertation titled 'Norwegian Garden Art in a Modern Society – 1930-50: Intentions and Ideals in a Time of Change.' This is a PhD dissertation that is based on the unique collections in the archive.
Through her PhD project, Rønsen has utilized archive studies as a central method, thoroughly exploring historical documents from the collections to uncover the practices and intentions of landscape architects during this period
The development of garden art in Norway during the 1930s and 1940s is a field that has so far been little explored.
This era marks the beginning of the professionalization of education and the professional organization of landscape architects, while also being a time when women began to enter the profession.
With access to rich archival documentation, Rønsen has chosen to focus on three main themes, which will be briefly presented here.
Good Farmer Gardens: From Elite to Popular Culture
The history and documentation from one of the first competitions organized by the Norwegian Landscape Architect and Gardener Association, in collaboration with the Society of Friends of Horticulture, during the period of 1936-39, provide a unique insight into the work of the professional community at that time.
The goal of the competition was to find designs and concepts for the 'good peasant garden.'
The archival material is placed in a historical and ideological context, as part of processes that contributed to making garden art accessible to a broader segment of the population – 'from elite culture to popular culture' – in the first half of the 20th century.
The farm garden competition and other contests in the newly established Norwegian landscape architecture community have previously been little studied by researchers.
The results, which are compiled in a separate article, provide insights into organizations, individuals, and positions in the early phase of the organized professional community.
The garden architects viewed their work as a shared social mission, emphasizing ideas of modernization and social equality.
Berit Rønsen's research provides a deeper understanding of the professional work and decision-making processes of that time. The drawings and the jury's evaluations, which serve as valuable primary sources, offer insights into the prevailing ideals for peasant gardens in the 1930s.
The First Female Garden Architects
As garden art became increasingly accessible and tailored for the general public, women also began to establish themselves as professional garden architects.
The next part of the PhD project and an accompanying article focus on one of the first female garden architects in Norway: Torborg Zimmer. She established her office in Bergen in 1936 and played a significant role in Norwegian garden art and landscape architecture throughout much of the 20th century.
As one of the first women in the field, Zimmer was an important pioneer, active in the professional discourse and a communicator of international ideas and styles to Norway. Despite her significance in the history of the profession, she remains relatively unknown.
Excerpt from Bergens Aftenblad (1936)
Women in landscape architecture have received limited attention compared to men, both in Norway and other Nordic countries.
The article contributes to expanding the understanding of the field's development by highlighting the history of one of the female practitioners. Women's participation has had a significant impact on the development of landscape architecture as a professional discipline.
Rønsen presents new research based on archival material from Torborg Zimmer's studio during the period 1935-1948.
From this period, Zimmer's collection includes 110 projects, primarily private garden designs in and around Bergen and Stavanger. Torborg Zimmer Frölich made significant contributions to Norwegian garden art in the 20th century through her private garden projects.
She is remembered as a pioneer both as a woman in the field and for her modernist vision, which brought new ideas to the country and contributed to the development of garden art.
Functionalism in Garden Art?
There has been extensive research on functionalism in Norwegian architecture, but this period has been almost entirely overlooked in relation to garden art. In her latest article, Berit Rønsen poses the question:
How was functionalism expressed in garden art? And how did Norwegian landscape architects translate international ideas into their own context?
The answer lies in principles such as simplified design, privacy, and healthy living, which formed the basis for the landscape architects' recommendations in the 1930s.
The landscape architects were influenced by their time, and the breakthrough of modernism, along with the functionalist mindset, affected their professional community just as much as that of architects.
From a functionalist perspective, aesthetic design was as important as practicality. An understanding of nature and the ideal of the garden as a recreational area at home were also essential parts of functionalism in garden art—emphasizing nature's role in human life.
This mindset reflects the ideals of light and air in functionalist architecture, but in garden art, these functionalist ideas naturally had more space, as garden art always relates to outdoor spaces and nature in various ways. Thus, garden art became a concrete tool for promoting both mental and physical public health during this period.
The fact that the professional community began to take an interest in small gardens and that garden art should also facilitate the privacy of working families represented a clear break from long-standing traditions in the field. This shift marks a movement of garden art from an elite culture to a broader popular culture, as we know it today.
New Perspectives on Norwegian Garden Art
The PhD dissertation provides new perspectives on the development of Norwegian garden art and the professional community of landscape architects in the 1930s and 1940s, as well as their role in societal development.
The research is relevant not only for historical studies in garden art but also for the practice field of landscape architecture and other research areas such as architectural research and women's studies.
It offers Norwegian landscape architects a deeper understanding of their professional historical roots and development, starting from the first graduating class of landscape architects in 1921 and following the founding of NLA in 1929.
The work is also highly relevant to today's discussions about the contribution of landscape architecture to society, sustainable community development, and the management of the global challenges we face.
Through a thorough exploration of a central period in the history of Norwegian garden art, the dissertation provides valuable insights that can inform both current and future professional practice and research.
More Information
PhD thesis of Berit Rønsen in Brage
Interview in Khrono (Norwegian)
This article has been developed in collaboration with PhD Berit Rønsen.