“This interior is a real highlight for me. There’s something about the colours and the light that she captures exceptionally well. It’s a strong motif of high quality. You feel a sense of joy when looking at it, in the way the colours interact. It’s a space with a particular harmony to it—something that conveys calm,” says senior curator Kristine Kolrud at the Sogn og Fjordane Art Museum.
In recent months, Kolrud has devoted her time to an in‑depth study of Rusti’s life and artistic practice. In April, the exhibition “I paint in my dreams” opens, presenting 50 works spanning the career of this remarkably prolific artist.
Why this title?
“It’s something she wrote when, at a very advanced age, she began to lose her sight and could no longer paint. But she still had an enormous desire to work—she was a real workhorse all her life—so she carried on painting, but in her dreams. The title says something essential about Rusti, and perhaps it also opens up new perspectives for visitors to the exhibition. There’s a quiet optimism to it,” Kolrud says.
Her sight returned
Many would have given up their career at that point, but Frida Rusti eventually received help for her eyesight. She took up painting again and continued working right up until her death.
“This watercolor was painted the week before she turned 102, just a couple of months before she died. I think it is a beautiful still life of a flower vase. Frida Rusti was very dedicated and worked continuously. She had a strong inner drive to keep creating,” says Kolrud.
Throughout her career, Rusti exhibited many times, both in Germany and in the largest cities in Norway. After her death, however, her work has been seen less frequently.
“There has not been much interest in art history for conventional artists like Rusti. We want to bring her work back into view. She was an artist of importance in her time, and she held a special position through her portraits of children. She also contributed to the art community, for example by donating her home to support visual art,” Kolrud explains.
Who was Frida Rusti?
”Frida Hoeck was born in the cultural city of Karlsruhe, Germany, in 1861, and she quickly realized that she wanted to become a painter. She received her art education in her hometown and continued her studies in Berlin and Paris. Many artists of her time experimented a great deal, but she decided to keep her work traditional”, says Kolrud.
She met her future husband, a Norwegian, while he has living in a monastery
When she was 25, she met the Norwegian illustrator, painter, and language activist Olav Rusti, who was eleven years her senior. At the time, he had withdrawn to a monastery in Germany to paint. It soon became clear that they shared a strong artistic interest. Through both their choice of subjects and their style, they found common ground in painting. They stayed in contact, and in 1893 they were married in Leikanger. They lived there for two years before moving to Bergen, where they bought the grand house Urdi at Damsgård, which became a gathering place for artists in the city.
“Their home became a center for artists and cultural figures and played an important role in Bergen’s artistic community. Among the many visitors were Harriet Backer and Gerhard Munthe. Through their involvement in the Norwegian language movement, they were also part of the revitalization of Norwegian cultural heritage, and counted Hulda and Arne Garborg among their circle,” Kolrud explains.
What characterizes Frida Rusti as an artist?
Master of Children’s Portraits
“She was a highly skilled draughtswoman and had a strong sense of color. She was conventional in the sense that she worked within established traditions and did not develop in an experimental direction. Already at her first exhibition in Berlin in 1886, we can see her interest in portraits of children. She became a much sought‑after portrait painter, especially of children,” says Kolrud.
Several of the works in the exhibition are children’s portraits. To highlight their qualities, Kolrud presents a painting of a baby with a feeding bottle alongside a portrait of a young girl. The young faces appear thoughtful, as if absorbed in their own inner worlds. Although they are two‑dimensional images on canvas and represent fleeting moments of life, the brushstrokes convey a strong sense of presence — as if someone is truly there.
She had a talent for painting portraits. She was a social person who connected easily with others, and perhaps had a special ability when it came to children. She took an interest in each individual child. She was also playful in nature and able to relate closely to the world of children.
”Rusti did not have children of her own, but she had a strong connection with children”, says Kolrud.
