– I found something I'm good at … I don't know what else to do.

Per Ung (1933–2013) studied at The Academy of Fine Art in Oslo (Statens Kunstakademi) in the 1950s. His mentor was the influential artist Per Palle Storm, and Ung stayed true to his figurative tradition right through the course of his long artistic vocation. He stood steadfast against modernism and tendencies toward non-figurative art. To Per Ung, human beings always remained the focal point, and his art is centered around an aspiration to understand and reflect human emotions and experiences. Throughout his career, he created a number of monuments. Several of them can be found in downtown Oslo. He was made a Knight of the Order of St. Olav in 2007.

In Mor og barn (Mother and Child) Ung has rendered the classic subject in his own way. Instead of presenting an introvert scene of motherly bliss in a private sphere, he shows a pretty and upright young mother carrying her swathed infant on her hip, as if displaying the baby with pride.

Mor og barn (Mother and Child), 1993.

© Per Ung / BONO

Bronze, 250 cm.