The history of The Angry Boy

The history of The Angry Boy (Sinnataggen) dates back to 1901, when Gustav Vigeland was on a study trip through Europe. In November 1900, he set out on a journey that would last an entire year—first to France and then to England. At the time, Vigeland was working on the restoration of Nidaros Cathedral, and his aim was to study Gothic sculpture. During his travels, he produced a large number of drawings, though few of them were directly related to the cathedrals. Most were erotic sketches, along with ideas for future sculptures. Among these is an early sketch of what would later become The Angry Boy, signed “London, 24 July 1901” and inscribed with the words “A Child.”

Vigeland's first drawing of The Angry Boy, from 1901.

The first small sculpture of the angry, screaming boy was created in 1911 and was originally intended as a niche figure for The Fountain. Vigeland had planned to place small sculptures in the niches around the fountain to enrich its decoration, but these plans were never realized. Inga Syvertsen referred to the figure as “the little screaming boy.”

The Angry Boy, 1911.

A larger version of the sculpture was cast in 1928, and the well-known figure was installed on the Bridge in Vigeland Park in 1940.

The Angry Boy photographed in the 1940s.

The Angry Boy quickly became a public favorite. However, the name Sinnataggen was not given by Vigeland himself, but most likely by the journalist R.A. Lorentzen in Drammens Tidende in connection with an exhibition of the bridge sculptures in Vigeland’s studio in 1930:

«"Of the smallest figures for the bridge, there is a little ‘angry fellow’ completed, one that could make even a bulldog smile."» — The Journalist R.A. Lorentzen

The Bridge, together with the Children’s Playground, depicts the stages of life from the time in the mother’s womb to mature age. The Angry Boy stands as the clear focal point of both the Bridge and the park, having achieved enormous popularity. There is no logical explanation for this, but it may be because Vigeland managed to capture an emotion—a moment of anger—that everyone can recognize, making it universally human.

Among the many interpretations is one by Norwegian author Roy Jacobsen (1954-2025). He links The Angry Boy to the three other children on the Bridge, relating them to the classical temperaments of Greek philosophy. The choleric boy forms a square at the center of the Bridge together with the melancholic, sanguine, and phlegmatic children. According to Jacobsen, The Angry Boy represents a rage and defiance that are both classless and timeless.