"Olaf Lange" is a name shared by at least two notable individuals: a Norwegian painter and printmaker (1875–1965) and a German professional basketball coach (born 1972).
Olaf Helliesen Lange (1875–1965) — Norwegian Painter and Printmaker
Olaf Helliesen Lange (11 February 1875 – 19 April 1965) was a Norwegian painter and printmaker. He was born in Stavanger, Norway, the son of physician Emil Lange and Marie Helliesen. His relatives included the Art Nouveau textile artist Frida Hansen (his cousin), painter Kitty Lange Kielland, and author Alexander Lange Kielland.
Lange studied at the University of Kristiania (now University of Oslo) from 1895 to 1897 and attended drawing classes at the Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry. He then studied at the Académie Julian in Paris from 1897 to 1901 under Jules Lefebvre and Tony Robert-Fleury. His painting Tète d'infant was exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1901.
He is best known for his symbolistic paintings and multicolored aquatint etchings produced between 1903 and 1912, which are closely linked to the continental Art Nouveau style. His nine known color etching motifs include Salammbô (1905), Herodias (1905), The Queen of Sheba (1906), The Cry / Revolution (1908), and Tang / Seaweed (1912). He drew inspiration from Arnold Böcklin, Gustav Klimt, Franz von Stuck, Italian frescoes, and Japanese art.
Lange received a gold medal for graphics at the XI International Exhibition in Munich in 1913 and a Medal of Honor at the Panama–Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco in 1915. His work is held in museum collections in Rome, Venice, Munich, Vienna, Berlin, Paris, Chicago, San Francisco, and in Norway at the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design in Oslo, as well as the art museums of Bergen and Stavanger. He died in Stavanger in 1965.
Olaf Lange (born 1972) — German Basketball Coach
Olaf Lange (born 30 March 1972 in Berlin, Germany) is a German professional basketball coach. He is currently the associate head coach for the Toronto Tempo of the WNBA and head coach of the Germany women's national basketball team.
Lange began his coaching career in Germany with BTV 1846 Wuppertal, first as an assistant (1995–1997) and then as head coach (1997–2002), winning five consecutive German Championships (1998–2002). He served as head coach of the German women's national team (2001–2003) and later as an assistant coach for the German men's program.
He has held head coaching positions with Ros Casares Valencia (Spain, 2004, winning the Supercup), Logan Thunder (Australia, 2010–2012), and UMMC Ekaterinburg (Russia, 2012–2018), where he won five Russian Premier League championships and two FIBA EuroLeague titles (2013, 2016). In the WNBA, he has served as an assistant/associate head coach for the San Antonio Silver Stars (2007–2010), Chicago Sky (2019–2021, winning the 2021 WNBA championship), and New York Liberty (2022–2025, winning the 2024 WNBA championship). He was also an assistant coach for the Australian Opals women's national team (2019–2025), winning a bronze medal at the 2022 FIBA World Cup.
Lange is married to Australian basketball coach Sandy Brondello, head coach of the Toronto Tempo. They have two children.
