Personal life

Rolfsen was born in Kristiania

Oslo

Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...

 as the son of writer Nordahl Rolfsen

Nordahl Rolfsen

Johan Nordahl Brun Rolfsen was a Norwegian writer, educationalist and teacher, journalist, translator and speaker. He is best known for the series of five readers for elementary school, Læsebog for folkeskolen , which became the most widespread schoolbook in Norway.-Family:Rolfsen was born in Bergen...

 and Hedevig Martha Hastrup Birch. He was married to Ingrid Platou from 1920.

Career

Rolfsen is represented in the National Gallery of Norway

National Gallery of Norway

The National Gallery of Norway is a gallery in Oslo, Norway. Since 2003 it is administratively a part of the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design.-History:...

 with several oil paintings, such as Kilden from 1926, Gruppe from 1931 and Den store stasjon from 1932. He is best known for his fresco paintings. His main work is the decoration of Oslo Vestre Krematorium, and he decorated churches and public buildings, such as the Oslo City Hall

Oslo City Hall

Oslo City Hall houses the city council, city administration, and art studios and galleries. The construction started in 1931, but was paused by the outbreak of World War II, before the official inauguration in 1950. Its characteristic architecture, artworks and the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, held...

 and Haugesund City Hall. In 1938, Rolfsen was given the task of decorating three of the walls in the Central Hall of the Oslo City Hall, where the Nobel Peace Prize

Nobel Peace Prize

The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...

 ceremony has been held annually since 1990. The northern wall is covered by the painting titled Arbeidets Norge fra de drivende garn til skovene i øst. On the eastern wall is the work Okkupasjonshistorien, about 30 metres long, with motives from the occupation of Norway between 1940 and 1945. The painting on the western wall is called St. Hallvard, after Oslo's patron saint. The decorations of the City Hall were finished and uncovered in 1950.

Among Rolfsen's book illustrations are an edition of Asbjørnsen and Moe's fairy tales and later editions of his father's readers. He has written books and articles on art and artists.

Rolfsen was decorated Knight of the Swedish Order of the Polar Star

Order of the Polar Star

The Order of the Polar Star is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I of Sweden on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim....

 in 1937, and Commander of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav in 1955. He received the Arts Council Norway Honorary Award

Norsk kulturråds ærespris

The Arts Council Norway Honorary Award is awarded annually by the Arts Council Norway. The prize is awarded annually to a person who has made a significant contribution to Norwegian art and culture. The prize committee does not solicit nominations and the decision on award is made in closed meeting...

in 1971.