Images performed

What remains after Sonja Henie today, how do we relate to her and what significance has she had? In various careers as an athlete, businesswoman, actress, art collector and patron of the arts, Sonja Henie ended up laying the foundation for the Henie Onstad Kunstsenter at Høvikodden in Norway. In her lifetime her name became a best-selling international brand, she made ice skating popular in the USA and was one of Norway’s first female art collectors.

In addition to what she has left us, Sonja Henie’s life also opens the door to ethical questions related to the public lives of child stars who are pushed towards extraordinary achievements and fame. In this way, the story of her life offers a good example of how far it is wise to go to please an audience, no matter whether one’s motivations are idealistic, or about winning, making money, and building a brand.

With photos and archive material from Henie’s spectacular life, the book presents new insights through texts based upon what she has left behind, the networks she created, the forms she challenged and the museum that remains after her.