National Museum, Oslo – serie

Hardly another name is better known in Norwegian art history than that of Hans Gude. He is usually referred to together with Adolph Tidemand, as the two artists are inextricably linked through their famous collaborative project Bridal Procession on the Hardangerfjord, painted in Düsseldorf in 1848, which has become a national icon.This book presents Hans Gude's maritime pictures and coastal landscapes, while also highlighting his important role as an inspiring teacher of Norwegian artists such as Eilif Peterssen, Kitty Kielland, Frits Thaulow, Christian Krohg and many others as a professor at the art academy in Karlsruhe.Text in English and Norwegian.

In March of 2008, The National Museum – Architecture opened at Bankplassen 3 in Oslo with an exhibition on Sverre Fehn. He is the architect behind the renovation of Grosch's bank building from the 1800s and the new museum pavilion. Fehn was also active in selecting which projects should be included in the exhibition and this catalogue. In addition to articles, pictures and drawings, this catalogue also includes quotes and project descriptions by Fehn himself.

Christian Krohg was a key figure in the Norwegian art community of the 1880s and 1890s, and was strongly influenced by the ideology of realism. In his view, art should have meaning for a broad segment of the population, not merely serve as wall decorations for the bourgeoisie. Three types of motifs were recurrent themes for Krohg during this period: the working-class hero, scenes from family life and "the fallen woman". Many people responded to his literary and visual representations of the poverty-stricken girl Albertine. He depicted members of the working class with great sympathy in paintings such as Errand Boy Drinking Coffee and Woman Cutting Bread. The Gaihede family, fishermen from Skagen in Denmark, are portrayed in many everyday situations, as are members of Krohg's own family. The catalogue sheds light on the subject matter of the exhibition, Krohg's period of study in Berlin and its impact on him, his relationship with Georg Brandes, the novel Albertine and Krohg's own use of photography as a model for his work and a medium.Text in English and Norwegian.

Erling Viksjø's buildings challenge our notions about what constitutes good architecture. His extensive use of concrete, modules and repetitive shapes has caused many to describe him as Norway's foremost Brutalist architect. Viksjø also went furthest in collaborating with visual artists. Concrete in Transition examines the encounter between art and architecture in Viksjø's projects. How could one attain a unified design where art was no longer an addition to, or in competition with, the architecture? This publication discusses Viksjø's collaborations with well-established artists such as Hannah Ryggen and Kai Fjell, and young Modernists including Odd Tandberg, Carl Nesjar and Inger Sitter. In addition, it discusses the projects in which he collaborated with Pablo Picasso.Text in English and Norwegian.

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.

"Colour orgies […] slung up on the walls." This was just one of many caustic remarks aimed at Thorvald Hellesen’s first – and last – exhibition in Norway, held in 1919. He would never again exhibit in his native country, where he was gradually forgotten. In Paris, Hellesen became part of the Cubist circle in Montparnasse. Here he got to know Pablo Picasso, Juan Gris, Albert Gleizes and Fernand Léger. In around 1920, he finally achieved critical acclaim. He became a member of Section d’Or, was a frequent Salon exhibitor, and had his work reproduced in Der Sturm and De Stijl. "Among the Cubists, Hellesen is one of the most interesting," declared Amédée Ozenfant.  This richly illustrated and well researched catalogue illuminates the whole span of Hellesen’s Cubism. His interactions with Orphism, Crystal Cubism and Mechanical Cubism are explored, together with his attempts to exploit Cubism in interior design and fashion. The book also examines Hellesen’s status as an outsider in Norway and partial insider in Paris – and subsequently as an overlooked pioneer of the Norwegian and Nordic avant-garde.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.

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.

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.

Food is more than just nutrition – it is culture, identity and history. The new Nordic cuisine movement has challenged our ideas about Nordic food culture and forged a new understanding of what it means to eat in harmony with nature. With its ideals of sustainability, seasonal ingredients and modern culinary innovation, the movement has had a deep impact on both the restaurant sector and the world of everyday food. This book has been compiled on the occasion of the exhibition New Nordic. Cuisine, Aesthetics and Place at The National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, which explores the interaction between the evolution of new Nordic cuisine and trends in other forms of contemporary culture. Architecture, contemporary art, design and studio crafts are woven together to provide a broader understanding of the movement’s aesthetic characteristics. How did materials, people and landscape interact to produce a distinctly Nordic culinary identity?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

The Sick Child, painted in 1885-86, is one of the most well-known, frequently discussed and highly analysed single works in Edvard Munch's oeuvre. The painting was shown for the first time in 1886 at the third National Art Exhibition, also known as the Annual Autumn Exhibition, under the title Study. The exhibition took place at the National Gallery, and later the work acquired a central position within the museum's collection. Øystein Ustvedt's essay in the catalogue provides a thorough introduction to the picture and its history, highlighting its creation, the motif, its reception, its provenance and later versions. Trond E. Aslakby's article is based on comprehensive technical examinations of the National Museum's version of the painting, focusing on technique and treatment.Text in English and Norwegian.

Erik Werenskiold is regarded as one of the "golden age" painters of Norwegian art. He was active as an artist for many decades and addressed the political, social and ideological upheavals of his time. The exhibition was designed to provide insight into Werenskiold's important contribution as an artist, and to examine different aspects of his production. His artistic practice ranges from the historicising figure painting of the 1870s through the painterly naturalism of the 1880s to the atmospheric works of the 1890s and on to the decorative surfaces of the turn of the century, and the catalogue articles address all of these periods. Later in his career he was influenced by the art of Paul Cézanne, the new objectivity of the 1920s and the socially critical art of the 1930s. Both paintings and drawings are examined.Text in English and Norwegian.

Aase Texmon Rygh introduced modern abstract sculpture into the Norwegian art scene as early as 1952. Since then she has uncompromisingly pursued the idea of abstraction and reduction, and has shown an unflagging commitment to the essence of sculpture and purity of form, as well as a firm belief in the integrity of the three-dimensional object.The catalogue presents, as did the exhibition, the broad range of the artist's production from the 1950s to the present. In addition to two articles the catalogue includes a large number of pictures and a wealth of documentation material.Text in English and Norwegian.