The Permanent Exhibition

Relying mainly on our own collection, the exhibition presents Norwegian Art Nouveau within an international context. The galleries have been organized with each of their own theme, allowing visitors to gain more insight into Art Nouveau and perhaps also discover new aspects of this style. The exhibition widens the conventional narrative about Art Nouveau in Norway by calling attention to marginalized and overlooked chapters in this narrative, for example by highlighting female practitioners as well as artists from our region.

Have you ever wondered what an early-twentieth-century bedroom might have looked like? The exhibition allows you to take a closer look at two rooms that were typical of the era, namely a lounge and a bedroom. One of the highlights is a piece of bedroom furniture in solid mahogany with intarsia, an inlaying technique where different types of wood or other materials are assembled to form patterns or images. The furniture set, which consists of a bed, wardrobe, and night table, stems from the early twentieth century. Its provenance is unknown, but stylistically it brings to mind the famous Nancy School of French Art Nouveau.

The exhibition showcases works in a wide range of techniques and materials spanning from textiles, silverware, and enamel to graphic design, ceramics, glass, and furniture. Several of the foremost Norwegian and European practitioners of Art Nouveau are represented, such as Frida Hansen, Gerhard Munthe, Gustav Gaudernack, Torolf Prytz, Marius Hammer, Valentin A. Kielland, Theodor Kittelsen, Thorolf Holmboe, Olaf Gulbransson, Andreas Schneider, Andreas Ollestad, Torvald Bindesbøll, Archibald Knox, Peter Behrens, Joseph Maria Olbrich and Henry van de Velde.