Background
Fett was born in Christiania as the son of factory owner Frans Eduard Fett and Ester Carolina Emilia Fischer.
Fett was born in Christiania as the son of factory owner Frans Eduard Fett and Ester Carolina Emilia Fischer.
Fett finished his examen artium in 1894.
He headed the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage from 1913 to 1946. He then carried through a European study tour which lasted four years, visiting Germany and Italy. During these studies he was particularly influenced by the art historians Wilhelm Vöge and Adolf Furtwängler.
Back in Norway he was appointed secretary of the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments.
While in this position Fett carried out a large documentary work on church art from the Middle Ages throughout the country. He also did work for the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History.
In 1908 he delivered his doctoral thesis, Billedhuggerkunsten i Norge under Sverreætten. After the death of his father in 1911, he took over as manager for the family company, including the factories Høyenhall Fabrikker.
He headed the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage from 1913 to 1946.
While in this position he supported the conservation and restoration of ancient Church Art, and worked for the preservation of sites such as the mining town Røros and Bryggen in Bergen, both later listed as World Heritage Sites. Fett regularly wrote articles for magazines and newspapers, and issued several books