Exhibition: «Frida Rusti: I paint in my dreams»

Frida Rusti (1861–1963) was, in her time, a prominent artist whose life spanned from German art circles to the cultural life of Western Norway. In the exhibition “Frida Rusti: I Paint in Dreams,” the public is presented with fragments of an exceptionally long artistic career that portrayed people and everyday motifs with an unusual combination of precision, warmth, and perseverance.

Rusti moved to Norway after meeting the Norwegian painter Olav Rusti in Germany, and she found both a home and inspiration on the west coast. She painted portraits, still lifes, landscapes, and interiors—but became particularly known for her expressive portraits of children. Over the course of a remarkably long career spanning eight decades, she worked with great intensity, even in old age, despite visual impairment. Nevertheless, Rusti has received little attention, beyond the fact that her works are found in both private and public collections.

New perspectives

The exhibition shows that she was part of a larger artistic and cultural environment in Western Norway. Fellow artists and cultural figures visited her home, Urdi, when they were in Bergen. Here, she played a more central role than history has so far emphasized. The exhibition therefore highlights both her artistic practice and her position as a female and foreign-born artist within a Norwegian art tradition where such voices have often been overlooked.