Villa Stenersen was commissioned as a family residence in the late 1930s by Rolf Stenersen, a Norwegian stockbroker who had amassed a huge collection of modern art. It was designed, says Gudrun Eidsvik — the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design curator who gave us our tour — as a villa for receptions. "This was and is a really high-society neighborhood, and the house often played host to parties with artists and authors and theater people. The foyer was quite empty — they needed that space to be free — and the bar was essential."