In this exhibition, the public will for the first time, see works by masters such as J.C. Dahl, Kitty Kielland, Anders Askevold, and Anna-Eva Bergman on the walls of Sogn and Fjordane Art Museum. With West, we expand our usual regional focus from Sogn og Fjordane to the entire western coast of Norway, presenting works from 1840 to the present day.
West is the result of close collaboration with Birger Mowinckel (b. 1927) and his family, who have lent 48 works to the exhibition. Mowinckel has collected art from Western Norway for decades, and his collection is one of the largest privately owned collections consisting of West Norwegian art. The museums in Sogn og Fjordane have also contributed works from their own collections to the exhibition at Sogn and Fjordane Art Museum, bringing the total to 62 artworks.
The exhibition offers a thematic insight into Western Norway’s art and cultural history, with a focus on migration, artistic communities, economy, and industry. Here, you will encounter both renowned artists who have left their mark on Norwegian and international art, as well as creative forces who are less well known today.
Meeting of Masters
West is an exhibition that features artists more commonly seen in Norway’s major museums. J.C. Dahl is well represented on museum walls in both Bergen and Oslo. The same goes for Anna-Eva Bergman and Kitty Kielland. Works by these artists can be experienced at Sogn and Fjordane Art Museum over the coming months. Naturally, we have also made space for our most renowned local names, including Gunnar S. Gundersen, Oddvar Torsheim, Ludvig Eikaas, Kjartan Slettemark, and Nikolai Astrup.
Overlooked Artists Take Center Stage
The exhibition also presents a number of works by artists who have been forgotten, and who, for various reasons, have not received the same attention as others. In Birger Mowinckel’s collection, we have discovered a range of treasures by artists many visitors may not recognize. Many of these are women artists, and we are giving them special attention throughout the exhibition.
What all the artists represented in the exhibition have in common is a connection to the western region of Norway.
Birger Mowinckel (b. 1927) is a Norwegian businessman from Bergen. He began his career in the family company J.E. Mowinckel and later founded AS Univest, which he led until 1990.
His art collection ranges from national romantic works by J.C. Dahl to contemporary pieces by the street artist Dolk. In 2010, Mowinckel placed his collection on long-term loan with the Reksten Collections in Bergen, and in 2018, parts of it were exhibited at the Bryggens Museum in the same city.
Curators: Mayra Henriquez, Tor Martin Leknes
Museum pedagog: Henriette Bekjorden Hukset
Exhibition- and graphic design: Prestegård Design, Fjell Design
Exhibition technicians: Berhanu Mekonen, Ole Langvik Hansen, Stein Sandemose