Kristian Wikborg Wiese – författare

The grande dame of Norwegian Painting – teacher of Nikolai Astrup and Harald Sohlberg. Harriet Backer (1845–1932) was one of Norway’s most prominent painters of the 19th century and a pioneer among women artists in Europe. In 1880, she debuted in the Paris Salon and lived in Munich and Paris. Back in Oslo, she established a successful school for painters. This catalogue presents Backer to an international audience, thus giving her back the place she deserves in art history. Harriet Backer’s richly coloured interior scenes, sensitive portrayals of simple rural life, her portraits and still lifes are characterised by plein-air painting, realism and Impressionism. Her works stand out, not only in Norway, but also in the European context, when it comes to originality, scope and quality. The publication highlights her artistic achievements and places her oeuvre in the European context.

The grande dame of Norwegian Painting – teacher of Nikolai Astrup and Harald Sohlberg. Harriet Backer (1845–1932) was one of Norway’s most prominent painters of the 19th century and a pioneer among women artists in Europe. In 1880, she debuted in the Paris Salon and lived in Munich and Paris. Back in Oslo, she established a successful school for painters. This catalogue presents Backer to an international audience, thus giving her back the place she deserves in art history. Harriet Backer’s richly coloured interior scenes, sensitive portrayals of simple rural life, her portraits and still lifes are characterised by plein-air painting, realism and Impressionism. Her works stand out, not only in Norway, but also in the European context, when it comes to originality, scope and quality. The publication highlights her artistic achievements and places her oeuvre in the European context.

The grande dame of Norwegian Painting – teacher of Nikolai Astrup and Harald Sohlberg. Harriet Backer (1845–1932) was one of Norway’s most prominent painters of the 19th century and a pioneer among women artists in Europe. In 1880, she debuted in the Paris Salon and lived in Munich and Paris. Back in Oslo, she established a successful school for painters. This catalogue presents Backer to an international audience, thus giving her back the place she deserves in art history. Harriet Backer’s richly coloured interior scenes, sensitive portrayals of simple rural life, her portraits and still lifes are characterised by plein-air painting, realism and Impressionism. Her works stand out, not only in Norway, but also in the European context, when it comes to originality, scope and quality. The publication highlights her artistic achievements and places her oeuvre in the European context.

Carroll Dunham. Grafikk / prints 1985–2022 is published on the occasion of a generous donation to The National Museum from the American artist Carroll Dunham (b. 1949). The entire gift, consisting of 161 prints, is presented in this publication. The book shows the artist’s fondness for series and contains some of his most known and iconic motifs. Dunham’s prints show considerable range in their expressiveness, motifs, and themes. Inspired by art history, pop culture, and his personal experience, he directs his gaze at everything from the infinity of the universe to the physical body and the representation of leaves on a tree.Text and interview by Wenche Volle and Geir Haraldseth.Text in English and Norwegian.

Explosive technological development and several global crises have left their mark on society in recent decades. What impact do such upheavals have on architects and the way they work?With contributions from Sam Jakob, Helen Runting, Max Creasy, Joakim Skajaa and Kellenberger White.Text in English and Norwegian.

The book deals with Norwegian artist Anna-Eva Bergman (1909–1987) and her paintings from the period 1950–1975. She left behind an exceptional collection of works and had a career that stands out in Norwegian art history.This book brings together several of her best-known monumental paintings. The simplified depictions of mountains, seas, moons and horizons speak to us today. "The way to art goes through nature and our attitude towards it", Bergman wrote in 1950. Today, the statement has renewed relevance in view of a vulnerable nature and humankind's footprint on the planet. Through her pictures, she continues to engage and create space for reflection on this subject. Furthermore, the book examines, among other things, Bergman's techniques, her relationship with architecture, as well as her abstract artistic expression.Text in English and Norwegian.

How does an artist work? How do ideas, emotions, and transcendental daydreams make their way from the mind to a physical format?This book includes previously - published and newly - written texts about A K Dolven’s oeuvre. The texts vary greatly in form and content. Some examine the artist’s notebooks and the way they have influenced Dolven’s treatment of nature and geographical locations such as London, Berlin, and the Lofoten archipelago, while others explore Dolven’s relationship with other artistic eras and symbols, such as the baroque period or the figure of the Virgin Mary, as well as her ongoing dialogue with artists such as Edvard Munch and Helene Schjerfbeck. Other important themes addressed are concepts such as time and space, and how they have influenced Dolven’s art. In addition to presenting all of the retrospective’s featured works from the exhibition amazone at the National Museum of Oslo, the book is also richly illustrated with photographs and other materials culled from Dolven’s archive, providing unique insight into her artistic processes and documenting her decades-long career.

Emerging from the expanding field of Islamic art history, Deviant Ornaments brings together historical and contemporary works from across the Islamic world to produce a more global understanding of sexuality. This catalogue begins with an essay by external curator Noor Bhangu, followed by thematic essays by Dr. Anjali Arondekar, Dr. Andrew Gayed, and Dr. Laura U. Marks. The essays are accompanied by an interview with Oslo-based activist Rana Issa, a section on terminology, and curatorial texts on exhibited artworks.  Text in English and Norwegian.

The Zambian-Norwegian artist, Anawana Haloba, creates multi-media installations that appeal to all the senses, including hearing and smelling. But she also challenges audiences to think. Many of her works address current discussions about Africa’s colonial legacy.The publication presents a selection of works from her artistic practice. In addition, she has created a new work—her very own opera— a video installation with singing sculptures, that draws on rich traditions of folk opera in Zambia.Haloba’s work invites us to listen in new ways, not just with our ears, but to history, forgotten languages, and to the stories that materials can tell. Her art reminds us to make room for what is disappearing, and to imagine new ways of being that can grow from what is left behind.Text in English and Norwegian.

After studying art for many years under highly respected teachers, Asta Nørregaard (1853–1933) became an established artist. She exhibited at the Paris Salon and carried out numerous portrait commissions for prominent figures from the upper class of Norwegian society, and from the fields of science and culture. She also ran her own painting school and established endowments for female artists and musicians. Even though Nørregaard is primarily known for her portraits, she also painted landscapes, interiors, and religious scenes. For many years, Nørregaard was overshadowed by more famous contemporaries, but recently she has gained recognition as a substantial force in Norwegian art history.This book brings together the breadth of Nørregaard’s artistic practice. It presents portraits of leading cultural and scientific figures of her time, studies of dress and fashion, and a museum-based detective story in which the question of who is portrayed takes centre stage. Taken together, the texts offer an understanding of Nørregaard, not only as a portrait painter, but as an active participant in the art world and as an artist who challenged the boundaries of what women could be in her time

Refusing to be content with a single form of expression or confined by a single artistic movement, the French-American artist Louise Bourgeois (1911–2010) explored a variety of styles and techniques that few artists can rival.Works from her entire career are presented in this publication, from her paintings and prints from the 1940s to the Cells she created in her final decades. These works enter into dialogue with artworks by Pablo Picasso, Carol Rama, Arshile Gorky, Louise Nevelson, Senga Nengudi, Alina Szapocznikow, Seni Awa Camara, Nan Goldin, Robert Gober and Anna Maria Maiolino, among others.Text in English and Norwegian.