The Kunsten Museum of Modern Art Presents "Lars Nørgård: Luxury Visions"

Written by Lars Ulirch Rasmussen Monday, 26 September 2011 21:49

Aalborg, Denmark.- The Kunsten Museum of Modern Art is pleased to present "Lars Nørgård: Luxury Visions" on view at the museum from October 1st through January 8th 2012. The major event in the Kunsten this autumn is the most comprehensive exhibition so far of the work of Lars Nørgård, a versatile artist who has established a unique position in the field of Danish art. This is a retrospective exhibition, in which we are presented with the entire spectrum of Lars Nørgård’s work: painting, drawing and sculpture. The exhibition occupies both the central gallery and the sculpture gallery in the museum, and is accompanied by a large catalogue and a new film focussed on the artist.

Lars Nørgård was born in Aalborg in 1956 and studied at the Skolen for Brugskunst in Copenhagen from 1975 to 1978 before travelling to the US to attend the Academy of Art College in San Francisco from 1980 to 1981. Lars Nørgård originally worked from 1977 until 1980 in a photo realistic style, but during his studies in USA 1980-81, his paintings changed to reflect an emphasis on abstract expression, especially inspired by the artist, Willem De Kooning. His palette was now “Americanised”, with strong, bold and light colours. On his return to Denmark, Lars Nørgård joined his acquaintance, Erik A. Frandsen’s experimental art school, “Workshop Worst”. Lars Nørgård was a part of this art community, and developed over the next few years a figurative style, more allegorical paintings with the members of Workshop Worst as stage models.


From 1986, Lars Nørgård alternated between an abstract expressional style, now with a heavy Nordic colour pallet, and a tight cartoonist figurative style. In 1998, Lars Nørgård decided to stop the pendulum, and chose to gather the threads to create the painting style, that today are characteristic for the artist – an amalgamation of figures and space, a picture devoid of a complete explanation, an energetic expression with both abstract and surreal elements. The surreal elements come from the many, completely over simplified line drawings within Lars Nørgård’s parallel production. Nørgård's works are in the collections of many Scandinavian museums, including ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum, Esbjerg Kunstmuseum, Helsingør Bymuseum, Horsens Kunstmuseum, Kobberstiksamlingen, Statens Museum for Kunst, Kunstindustrimuseet, Kunstmuseet Trapholt, Nordjyllands Kunstmuseum, Rooseum, Malmø, Skive Kunstmuseum, Sønderjyllands Kunstmuseum, Vejle Kunstmuseum and Vestsjællands Kunstmuseum.

The Kunsten Museum of Modern Art Aalborg was designed by Elissa and Alvar Aalto and Jean-Jacques Baruël, and built between 1968 and 1972. It is a very flexible building, that, due to the mobile partition wall system, can change character, depending on the requirements of each individual exhibition. Special note should also be made of the unique use of natural light, which has helped to make the building world famous. The museum is designed to blend in with its natural surroundings, and like a ziggurat it rises to meet the adjoining hillside. It is situated on the edge of a large area of parks and woodland, and the surrounding vegetation stands in contrast to the precise contours of the building. The materials used were specially selected. The outer walls, and a large part of the floor area are made of carrara marble, and the light material structure helps to give prominence to the art works. The total area is approx. 6000sq.m. On the ground floor is the central hall together with an adjoining sculpture hall. Surrounding these are series of long sky lit galleries, seven smaller exhibition rooms, a chamber music room, the entrance hall, and the administration offices. On the lower ground floor are exhibition rooms, a café, cloakroom, lecture rooms, a study group room, a workshop and a library. The museum is encircled by a sculpture park, an amphitheatre and a grassy terrace. A brick wall forms a bridge between the stringent lines of the museum buildings and the wooded slopes behind.


On display in the park are sculptures by Gunnar Aagaard Andersen, Willy Ørskov, Lene Adler Petersen, Mogens Møller and, in pride of place, Bjørn Nørgaard’s Klassisk tableau. Drømmeslottet (Classical Tableau. The Dream Castle) – a veritable crystal palace, complete with fluttering banners. The permanent exhibit traces the course of art in Denmark from Naturalism to Abstract Art and more recent experimental art forms. The Danish artist J.F. Willumsen occupies a central place in the collection, which also boasts a fine selection of works by artists from the first half of the 20th century – among them Vilhelm Lundstrøm, Edvard Weie, Jens Søndergaard and Erik Hoppe. Artists from the middle of the last century such as Wilhelm Freddie, Ejler Bille, Egill Jacobsen, Asger Jorn, Carl-Henning Pedersen, Sonja Ferlov Mancoba, Richard Mortensen and Robert Jacobsen are well represented here, while late 20th century art is exemplified by such names as Willy Ørskov, Poul Gernes, Mogens Møller, Kirsten Christensen, Kirsten Ortwed, Kehnet Nielsen and Ingvar Cronhammar. Milestones in international art which have had an impact on Danish art are also highlighted, primarily through works from the mid-20th century by such artists as Max Ernst, Fernand Léger, Karel Appel, Constant, Victor Vasarely and Serge Poliakoff. A large private collection forms the nucleus of the museum’s permanent exhibit. The Anna and Kresten Krestensen Collection was acquired in 1967 with the aid of a grant from the Kirsten and Palle Dige Foundation. It contains works from Denmark and abroad dating from the first half of the 20th century, and focusses primarily on Danish modernism, the COBRA group and the School of Paris. By dint of donations and new purchases the collection has expanded to include works by the surrealists, members of the Fluxus group and Denmark’s ”wild young artists” from the 1980s. Visit the museum's website at ... http://www.kunsten.dk

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