You may have missed the eclectic, broad survey of 200 years of art at Nordic Impressions which closed Sunday at the Phillips Collection to which we give utmost thanks for opening its doors at no charge to federal employees during the Trump Shutdown.
Pictured here are most of my favorites from the show which all tend to be styled more or less in the same manner, and it is interesting that without paying much attention to the artist's gender, I chose many by female artists, many who seem to represent the same time period. Anyway...
Impressions included 53 artists from Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and the self-governing islands of Åland, Faroe, and Greenland.
Paintings and video installations of Nordic lights and darks highlighted the show of landscapes and melancholic portraits, self exploration, and works of women's rights and social liberalism.
The exhibition was years in the making, beginning after the successful run of the 2013 Nordic Cool exhibition at the Kennedy Center.
To advance the display of flowing Nordic treasures, Nordic Council members signed the Nordic Cultural Initiative with the Phillips in 2014 with the purpose "to promote the wealth of Nordic artistic talent" and to cultivate attention on the art.
The Phillips' chief curator and deputy director for academic affairs, Klaus Ottmann, began working with the embassies on the show in 2014, he said in a telephone interview.
With assistance from the Nordic Council, Dr. Ottmann traveled to all eight countries in the summer of 2015, spending two and half weeks visiting five museums every day and meeting with museum directors, curators, and viewing hundreds of pieces of art, all the while taking notes and pictures.
The selection of the art was not an easy task, said Dr. Ottmann.
"All the countries very strongly felt the three self-governing nations [Åland, Faroe, and Greenland] must have artists represented," and they also insisted that indigenous artists from the northern parts of Sweden and Finland be included in the show.
They were.
"All the countries very strongly felt the three self-governing nations [Åland, Faroe, and Greenland] must have artists represented," and they also insisted that indigenous artists from the northern parts of Sweden and Finland be included in the show.
They were.
Populations (or "equal representation") of the countries were not considered for Nordic Impressions, Dr. Ottmann explained. Ten artists from each of the five largest countries were selected plus one each from the island nations for a total of 53.
Several times in the interview Dr. Ottmann mentioned the limitation of space he had at the Phillips which meant selectivity of pieces was critical, but no one in the Nordic contingent insisted on particular artists, but some gave him "helpful advice."
The embassies were "very, very helpful. I
didn't get everything I wanted, and we communicated back and forth."
Helene Schjerfbeck (1862-1946), The Seamstress (The Working Woman), 1905, Finnish National Gallery, Ateneum Art Museum, Helsinki
Fanny Brate (1861-1940), Sunshine, 1898, Nationalmuseum, Stockholm
Vilhelm Hammershoi (1864-1916), Interior with the Artist's Easel, 1910, National Gallery of Denmark, Copenhagen. The wall text identified the artist as a recluse who seldom provided narrative.
Asger Jorn (1914-1973), Ainsi on s'Ensor (Out of this World-after Ensor), 1962, Museum Jorn, Silkeborg. Jorn was an experimental artist who modified paintings in the style of Belgian artist James Ensor (1860-1949), according to wall text. This is a reworked rendition of a hanged man by French artist Hugues de Beaumont (1874-1947). The title means "and so one departs." Note the prickly cat.
From his work for the show, "I learned two major things:
I was surprised by the number of women artists from the Nortics [about half the artists in the show], especially in the 19th century which I didn't know before," and "the diversity, a lot of it, especially the styles of the artists."
Dr. Ottmann found "lots of abstracts in many different styles which I tried to include," and he did.
The exhibition was "not inclusive, or comprehensive and
clearly, there are some things missing," he said. But diversity was evident and the common themes of nature, family life, and a strong sense of ecology were dominant.
"I did not want it to be another cliche" for Nordic art, Dr. Ottmann said: "I wanted [the exhibition] to have surprises," and it did. Many of them.
Vilhelm Hammershoi (1864-1916), Interior with the Artist's Easel, 1910, National Gallery of Denmark, Copenhagen. The wall text identified the artist as a recluse who seldom provided narrative.
From his work for the show, "I learned two major things:
I was surprised by the number of women artists from the Nortics [about half the artists in the show], especially in the 19th century which I didn't know before," and "the diversity, a lot of it, especially the styles of the artists."
Dr. Ottmann found "lots of abstracts in many different styles which I tried to include," and he did.
The exhibition was "not inclusive, or comprehensive and
clearly, there are some things missing," he said. But diversity was evident and the common themes of nature, family life, and a strong sense of ecology were dominant.
"I did not want it to be another cliche" for Nordic art, Dr. Ottmann said: "I wanted [the exhibition] to have surprises," and it did. Many of them.
"The Nordic scene is so powerful. There was much for me to learn."
Some of the artists in the show were from the Golden Age and Romantic era (Akseli Gallen-Kallela and Helene Schjerfbeck), while others are known for their nationalism and French influence (Franciska Clausen and Helmer Osslund). Sigurður Guðmundsson and Poul Gernes demonstrated conceptual and experimental art.
Contemporary artist Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir also known as "Shoplifter" (because the pronouncement of her name sounds like "Shoplifter"), is a present resident of Brooklyn
"discovered" by Dr. Ottmann on his trip, he said. She visited the Phillips three times to help with planning, as did other Nordic artists and musicians. ("Shoplifter" will represent Iceland in this year's Venice Biennale which boasts an attendance of a half million persons.)
Dr. Ottmann wrote the lead essay for the catalogue and others making contributions were Dorthe Aagesen, chief curator and senior researcher, SMK Copenhagen; Kasper Monrad, former chief curator and senior researcher, SMK Copenhagen; Riitta Ojanperä, director of collections management, Finnish National Gallery; Nils Ohlsen, director of old masters and modern art, The National Museum of Art, Architecture, and Design; and Carl-Johan Olsson, curator, 19th-century painting, Nationalmuseum, Stockholm.
The 200-paged softbound catalogue with color reproductions and artists' biographical sketches sells for $19.95 in the Phillips' gift shop.
An abbreviated, contemporary version of the exhibition screened earlier in Seattle.
The Marion F. Goldin Charitable Fund, the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation, and the scan|design foundation helped make the exhibition possible with in-kind support by Farrows and Ball.
This year will mark Dr. Ottmann's ninth year at the Phillips where he curated George Condo before Nordic, one of more than 50 shows he has orchestrated around the world, including one opening January 26 at American University, The Gifts of Tony Podesta.
A native of Nuremberg, Germany, Dr. Ottmann earned a M.A. and Ph.D. in philosophy and began his career as an art critic. He has written so many books, "a lot, I can't keep up with [them]. I've been writing for almost 35 years."
He did not mention it, but his Wikipedia page says in 2016 he was awarded the French Medal of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters (Ordre des Arts et des Lettres). The honor recognizes notable artists, writers, and others who have helped advance the arts in France and around the world. Dr. Ottmann joins the company of T.S. Eliot, Rudolf Nureyev, Philip Glass and others.
Where: The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St., N.W. at Q St., Washington, D.C. 20009
Hours: 10 a.m.- 5 p.m., with extended hours on Thursday (with a ticket) until 8:30 p.m., and Sunday, 12 - 6:30 p.m.
Admission: $12, $10 for students and those over 62, free for members and for children 18 and under. A ticket includes admission to all exhibitions on view. From Tuesday through Friday, admission is free to the permanent collection and on Saturday and Sunday, permanent collection prices are reduced to $10 (adults) and $8 (seniors and students). Those under 18 are admitted at no charge.
Metro Station: Dupont Circle (Q Street exit. Turn left and walk one block.)
For more information: 202-387-2151
Patricialesli@gmail.com
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