Exhibition opening: Fritz Thaulow

Frits Thaulow (1847–1906) was a central figure in the development of modern art in Norway.

In the art circles of Kristiania, his fresh, colourful plein-air paintings of city and countryside aroused both enthusiasm and shock. As the 19th century drew to a close, he achieved international fame for his virtuosic depictions of snow, evening moods and water in motion. Eventually settling in France, he became part of Paris’ energetic art scene.

The exhibition Frits Thaulow at Haugar Art Museum provides a thorough introduction to Thaulow's work as a painter, with examples of the most important themes and motifs from his oeuvre. The end of the 1800s was characterised by rapid and radical changes in society with increasing urbanisation and class consciousness, public debate through the periodicals, a nascent leisure- and consumer economy, and internationalisation driven by railways and new communication technology. Paris became the cultural capital of the modern age, and here Thaulow gained access to new artistic impulses from continental Europe.

As a committed champion of the freedom of art – and artists – Thaulow became an important voice in the cultural discourse at the end of the 1800s. His knack for making contacts and building networks were as virtuoso as his brushwork. This led to numerous appearances in the Paris Salon, World’s Fairs, Venice Biennials and other international exhibitions. In Norway, he was one of the initiators of the annual Autumn Exhibition and at the forefront of the campaign to establish Kunstnernes Hus in Oslo.

Frits Thaulow was a prolific painter, and his art is spread in numerous collections at home and abroad, both public and private. Several of the paintings in this exhibition have thus not been shown publicly for a long time. From the Musée d'Orsay in Paris the painting Winter in Norway (1886) is on loan for the exhibition. The painting was originally purchased by the French state when Thaulow received the Legion of Honour for his contribution to the World’s Fair in Paris in 1889.

A richly illustrated catalogue is published in connection with the exhibition and provides a broad overview and a new perspective on one of the most significant painters in Norwegian art history.

The exhibition is supported by the Savings Bank Foundation DNB

The exhibition is presented in collaboration with KODE