Håkon Gullvåg was born in Trondheim in 1959 and quickly established himself as a leading representative of the new generation of figurative painters who had their breakthrough in the 1980s. Gullvåg not only broke with his non-figurative teachers but quickly seized the new freedoms that postmodernism opened up regarding historical paraphrases, symbolism, and religious references.' Much of Gullvåg's painting can be called surreal in form, but can be summarized within the framework of a specific ambition: to attempt to depict the associative world and gaze of a child. This is often based on his own childhood memories. Dogs draped with medals, living airplanes, cars with legs, and the child staring wonderingly out from their own memory, have been part of Gullvåg's iconography in almost all exhibitions since his debut. In addition, Gullvåg has built a unique position in Norway by revitalizing portraiture. He often uses deformation of the portrayed as an artistic device but works with a wide range of means. He has painted an entire Pantheon within Norwegian public life, including most official portraits of the King and Queen of Norway, former prime ministers, authors, actors, editors, researchers, and musicians. Håkon Gullvåg has been appointed Commander of the Order of St. Olav and has received the Anders Jahre Culture Prize, as well as other awards and distinctions. Gullvåg is well represented in most public collections and museums in Norway and abroad. Gullvåg has had extensive exhibition activity both nationally and internationally, including in China, Poland, Italy, the Middle East, and France.