Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum is a Norwegian visual arts museum in

Northern Norway Northern Norway ( nb, Nord-Norge, , nn, Nord-Noreg; se, Davvi-Norga) is a geographical Regions of Norway, region of Norway, consisting of the two northernmost counties Nordland and Troms og Finnmark, in total about 35% of the Norwegian mainlan ...

. The Northern Norwegian Museum of Art is responsible for the entire northern region and in 2010 established a separate department for the nationwide program.

History

Established as a foundation in 1985, the Northern Norway Art Museum moved to its current location in Tromsø in 2001. The building was originally designed by architect Søren Andreas Wiese-Opsahl in 1917 to house post and telegraph offices. From 1967 the building was commissioned as a police station. Through the years the Northern Norway Art Museum has presented thematic exhibitions on subjects as still life, Norwegian and Russian arts and crafts, Peder Balke and Sámi contemporary art. The museum has also presented solo exhibitions of artists like Marit Følstad, Kjell Varvin and Håkon Fageraas.

Collections

The museum presents different temporary exhibitions of both contemporary and historical art during the year, in addition to the permanent collection. The permanent collection contains approximately 2,200 works, of which only a small, representative amount is on display. The collection includes artworks from the late 18th century to the present day. The museum also deposits art from the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, SpareBank 1 Northern Norway Art Foundation, Sparebankstiftelsen DNB NOR, Tromsø Kunstforening and private collections. Key artists include Peder Balke,

Adelsteen Normann Eilert Adelsteen Normann (1 May 1848 – 26 December 1918) was a Norwegian painter who worked in Berlin. He was a noted painter of landscapes of Norway. Normann was the artist who invited Edvard Munch to Berlin, where he painted '' The Scream'' ...

, Harriet Backer, Anna-Eva Bergman and

Olav Christopher Jenssen Olav Christopher Jenssen (born 2 April 1954 in Sortland, Norway) is a Norwegian artist. Jenssen is considered one of the most acclaimed contemporary Norwegian artists, with a significant international career. He has for years lived and worked in B ...

. Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum was named Norway's «Museum of the Year 2017» by Norges Museumsforbund, the Norwegian museum association.

Other locations

The museum has a special responsibility for the northern parts of Norway, and tours 2-3 smaller exhibitions in

Nordland Nordland (; smj, Nordlánnda, sma, Nordlaante, sme, Nordlánda, en, Northland) is a county in Norway in the Northern Norway region, the least populous of all 11 counties, bordering Troms og Finnmark in the north, Trøndelag in the south, N ...

, Troms og Finnmark and

Svalbard Svalbard ( , ), also known as Spitsbergen, or Spitzbergen, is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. North of mainland Europe, it is about midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole. The islands of the group range ...

. In 2015 the satellite Kunsthall Svalbard opened in

Longyearbyen Longyearbyen (, locally �lɔ̀ŋjɑrˌbyːən "The Longyear Town") is the world's northernmost settlement with a population greater than 1,000 and the largest inhabited area of Svalbard, Norway. It stretches along the foot of the left bank ...

, Svalbard as a dedicated arena for contemporary art. Queen Sonja of Norway did the official opening, and the first exhibition was ''Glacier'' by Joan Jonas.

Gallery

File:Balke fra nordkapp.jpg, Peder Balke's ''From North Cape'' (1860s) File:Gunnar Berg - Svolvær.jpg, Gunnar Berg's ''Svolvær'' (1889) File:François-Auguste Biard - Le Pasteur Læstadius instruisant les Lapons.jpg, François-Auguste Biard's ''The Minister

Laestadius Lars Levi Laestadius (; 10 January 1800 – 21 February 1861) was a Swedish Sami pastor and administrator of the Swedish state Lutheran church in Lapland who founded the Laestadian pietist revival movement to help his largely Sami congregations, ...

preaching '' (1840) File:Francois Auguste Biard - Fight with Polar Bears.jpg, François-Auguste Biard's ''Fighting Polar Bears'' (1839) File:Arbo - Battle of Stamford Bridge (1870).jpg,

Peter Nicolai Arbo Peter Nicolai Arbo (18 June 1831 – 14 October 1892) was a Norwegian historical painter, who specialized in portraits and allegorical scenes from Norwegian history and the Norse mythology. He is most noted for ''The Wild Hunt of Odin'', a d ...

s ''The battle of Stamford Bridge'' (1870) File:Gustav wentzel høstlandskap.jpg,

Gustav Wentzel Gustav Wentzel (1859–1927) was a Norwegian painter. He was best known for interiors and domestic and rural scenes. His artistic style was associated with Naturalism and noted for accurate observations and attention to detail. Biography He ...

's ''Autumn Landscape'' File:Peterssen-InTheChurch.jpg, Eilif Peterssen's ''In Church'' File:Peters-DiggingForWorms.jpg, Wilhelm Peters' ''Digging for worms'' (1883-1884) File:Kjell Varvin O'HOY 1995.jpg, Kjell Varvin's ''O'HOY'' (1995)

References

External links

Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum's home page

Travel and Leisure about Kunsthall Svalbard
{{authority control Art museums and galleries in Norway Buildings and structures in Tromsø Museums in Troms og Finnmark 1985 establishments in Norway Art museums established in 1985