The marine painting will now be dominating at the National Gallery: "Along the Coast. Gude and his students around 1870"

We have the great pleasure of inviting the media to the preview of this saline exhibition on Thursday February 18^th at 11:00 a.m. at the National Gallery. Registrations to Elise Lund, Media and Press Manager: elise.lund@nasjonalmuseet.no

The exhibition ‘Along the Coast. Gude and his students around 1870’ explores how the realistic maritime painting was established, and how significant Gude’s depictions of land and sea became for his Norwegian students at the art academy in Karlsruhe. Famous artists such as Kitty Kielland, Frits Thaulow, Christian Krohg, Amaldus Nielsen and Nikolai Ulfsten were all among Gude’s students in Karlsruhe. Following Gude’s advice they went on field trips to the beaches of southern Norway and discovered motifs from their native land, demonstrated by for instance Kitty Kielland’s paintings from Jæren.

For the majority, Hans Gude (1825–1903) is best known for his collaborations with Adolph Tidemand on the national romantic icon ‘Bridal Procession on the Hardangerfjord’ (1848), where Gude painted the landscape. But after a while he turned to other sources of inspiration, and became a maritime painter. He had a great international career: first as a teacher in Düsseldorf, then in Karlsruhe and finally in Berlin.

A total of 110 works of art are presented in ‘Along the Coast. Gude and his students around 1870’, both paintings and works on paper. In addition to the National Gallery’s own collection, are several paintings on loan from museums in Norway and Sweden, as well as private collections. The exhibition thereby gives a unique opportunity to see art that has never before been publicly displayed.

The exhibition is divided into seven themed sections: 1.Gude and his students, 2. Gude as a maritime painter, 3. Storm and calm waters, 4. Everyday heroes (pilots), 5. Portrayals of Jæren and Lista, 6.The boat as a companion, and finally: 7.Towards a new era, about the developments from the sailing ships to the steamers.

The catalog, in both Norwegian and English, is illustrated throughout its 200 pages. Curator for the exhibition is Senior Curator Frode Haverkamp. This is his last exhibition before he is due to enjoy his otium, or to use a nautical term ‘to swallow the anchor’.

Exhibition design by Gordon Ryan. Exhibition runs until May 8^th.