Ibsen Park.

The park was established in the center of Skien after the city fire in 1886. On the occasion of Henrik Ibsen’s 70th birthday in 1898, the park was named Henrik Ibsen’s Square, and today it is known as Ibsen Park. In connection with the celebration of Henrik Ibsen’s 130th birthday in 1958, Dyre Vaa’s sculpture of the great poet was unveiled in Ibsen Park in Skien. The sculpture, placed on a granite pedestal, towers over the lower part of the park as an introduction to Henrik Ibsen Street in the center of Skien. The sculpture is crafted in bronze and is larger than life-size. Henrik Ibsen is depicted in his characteristic style; standing, wearing a long coat but without the typical top hat, and with his gaze directed towards the street. It is the mature Ibsen who is depicted with his distinctive sideburns and authoritative presence. The sculpture of Henrik Ibsen has a narrative and decorative style. The artist was not preoccupied with form but rather with the person Henrik Ibsen. Vaa uses the opportunity to convey the position Henrik Ibsen holds in his hometown and emphasizes this by depicting him larger than life-size and placing the sculpture on a high pedestal. In Ibsen Park, there are also the sculptures: “Hedvig and The Wild Duck, Eyolf and Mopsemann” and “The Ride of the Buck”, both by Svein Tore Kleppan.