Erik Hesselberg

Erik Hesselnberg (* 1914, † 1972) was a Norwegian artist and participants of the Kon-Tiki expedition.

Growing up in the Norwegian port of Larvik drove Hesselnberg after completion of school gear to the lake and was helmsman. He later studied in Hamburg art and commercial art. During the war he lived in Brunswick, where he founded with his German wife Liss The advertising exchange. Here he met the photographer Heinrich Heidersberger know. In 1945 he and his wife moved to Norway. Hesselnberg became known as the navigator of the Kon-Tiki expedition in 1947 and through his book Kon-Tiki and me. In this book he describes and draws its adventurous journey and kicking himself.

After the Kon-Tiki expedition, he built his own sailboat Tiki and sailed from Norway, via the Rhine and the Rhone to the Côte d' Azur. Here he lived for many years and meets, inter alia, Picasso, Cocteau and Simenon. For a long time he worked with his artist friend Carl Nesjar. Working in natural concrete, such as the Picasso sculpture in Kristinehamn / Sweden and Picasso Sylvettestatue in New York and several decoration works are evidence of this cooperation. Hesselnberg died in 1972, leaving behind a lot of pictures, graphics, sculptures and a collection of over 200 songs with guitar music.