Trond
Berg-Nilssen
The TV producer who left the industry to paint human unrest. Figurative contemporary art from Oslo.
Two decades in front of the camera.
Now behind the canvas.
Trond Berg-Nilssen (b. 1968, Oslo) spent more than twenty years as a central force in Norwegian television production. As the producer behind series such as Lilyhammer, Hotel Cæsar and Hvaler, he understood instinctively what grips people — and what holds them captive.
In 2020 he made a choice that surprised the industry: he left his career behind to paint. Not because he was finished, but because something else demanded expression. Something that could not be told in cuts and lines of dialogue.
In his Oslo studio he found what painting has always promised: the silence that speaks. His figurative contemporary art explores human unrest, psychological tension and the unspeakable in encounters between people.
The works are uncomfortably precise — and for that very reason so hard to grow tired of looking at.
A complete overview of past, upcoming and permanent exhibitions.
See all exhibitionsEarly years in TV
Begins his career in Norwegian television production. Works his way up from production assistant to producer over a decade across various formats and genres.
Hotel Cæsar
Producer of Norway’s most-watched TV drama for many years. Builds an understanding of long-form character development and emotional dramaturgy that later proves valuable in his painting.
Lilyhammer
Co-producer on the Norwegian-American series that became an international breakthrough. It was among the first Netflix productions outside the United States.
Hvaler
Producer on the critically acclaimed NRK series. Its psychological depth and feel for nature leave traces that later resurface in the paintings.
The Studio
Leaves the TV industry and establishes his studio in Oslo. Begins painting figurative works of psychological weight. The first works are released in 2022 to immediate acclaim.
"I paint to understand something— Trond Berg-Nilssen
I cannot put into words."