Oslo: The National Museum’s new exhibitions for the 2016 art year

Japanomania, Hans Gude’s glittering seas, the breakthrough of functionalism, extreme furniture design, and the multifaceted career of Sidsel Paaske. This is the 2016 art year at the National Museumof Art, Architecture and Design in Oslo:

2016 kicks off with the exhibition “Villa Tugendhat” at Villa Stenersen. Tugendhat is the best preserved example of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s (1886–1969) early functionalism and served as an inspiration for Arne Korsmo’s work on Villa Stenersen.

Terje Ekstrøm (1944–2013) is considered to be one of Norway’s first postmodern designers. “Ekstrøm Extreme. Furniture and Industrial Design” is the first retrospective exhibition of this pioneer in Norwegian design history.

With glittering seas and ships at full sail, “Along the Coast. Gude and his students around 1870” shows how Hans Gude’s (1825–1903) perception of the landscape changed during the 1860s in line with the development of plein air painting, and how he in turn passed these lessons on to students such as Frits Thaulow, Christian Krohg, and Kitty Kielland.

The advent of conceptual art in the 1970s is perhaps the most radical revolution in recent Norwegian art history. Paradoxically enough, however, this is a revolution that few people know much about. “Silent Revolt. Norwegian Process Art and Conceptual Art in the 70s and 80s” tells the story.

With his designs for Restaurant Skansen, Ekeberg Restaurant, and the Horngården building in Oslo, the architect Lars Backer (1892–1930) launched functionalism in Norway. “Lars Backer – Architect. A Pioneer of Norwegian Modernism” focuses on Backer’s life, his contributions to Norwegian architecture, and the era in which he lived.

For the first time ever, an exhibition will show how Japanese art helped shape Nordic art and design around 1900. “Japanomania in the North. The Influence of Japan on Nordic Art and Design 1875–1918” will be on display at the National Gallery and the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design. The exhibition will feature works by Gerhard Munthe, Thorvald Bindesböll, Bruno Liljefors, and Helene Schjerfbeck, along with works by international trailblazers such as Monet, Gauguin, and van Gogh.

Autumn 2016 highlights include the Oslo Architecture Triennale and artists such as Toril Johannessen, Sidsel Paaske and Gustave Courbet.

The National Museum’s exhibition programme for 2016
5 February: Villa Tugendhat
14 February: Ekstrøm Extreme. Furniture and Industrial Design
19 February: Along the Coast. Gude and his students around 1870
4 March: Silent Revolt. Norwegian Process Art and Conceptual Art in the 70s and 80s
12 March: A New Parliament Building. Competition and Debate 1835–1866
1 April: Lars Backer – Architect. A Pioneer of Norwegian Modernism
28 May: The Nordic Participation at the 15th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia
17 June: Japanomania in the North. The Influence of Japan on Nordic Art and Design 1875–1918
19 June: Unlock and Discover! Norges Bank’s 200th Anniversary
9 September: Oslo Architecture Triennale: “After Belonging in Residence”
16 September: Norwegian Nature. Toril Johannessen and Tue Greenfort
21 October: On the Verge: Sidsel Paaske (1937–1980)
18 November: Under the Microscope: Courbet

More information:
Elise Lund, press contact, tel.: +47 99 32 19 42 / elise.lund@nasjonalmuseet.no
Eva Amine Wold Engeset, press contact, tel.: +47 469 50 102 / eva.engeset@nasjonalmuseet.no