Gerhard Munthe: Norwegian Pioneer of Modernism

-Inspired by antiquity, Norwegian folk art and Japonisme, Norwegian Gerhard Munhte was one of the most groundbreaking and innovative artists in the late 1800s, active as a designer in the fields of tapestries, carpets, furniture, stained glass, silver, porcelain, wallpaper, wrought iron, book bindings, fonts and interior decoration -Scholarly presentation of Gerhard Munthe's oeuvre with special emphasis on his interior decoration projects and tapestry designs -Accompanies a retrospective at The National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Oslo (NO), in the summer of 2018 Gerhard Munthe (1849-1929) is one of the most unique and important artists within the Art Nouveau movement and a significant contributor to its international diversity. His radical, abstract style based partly on old Norwegian folk art is today considered a precursor of twentieth-century modernism. Among Munthe's greatest achievements are his countless room decorations, of which the Holmenkollen Turisthotell (1896-1898) in Oslo and Håkonshallen (1910-1915) in Bergen are the most significant. A series of illustrations of old Norwegian ballads and fairy tales made in 1892-1893 became the basis for a renewal of the decorative arts in Scandinavia, notably in the weaving industry. Munthe's work as a designer covers most fields within the decorative arts: tapestries, carpets, furniture, stained glass, silver, porcelain, wallpaper, wrought iron, book bindings, fonts and ex libris. Contents: Preface; Acknowledgements; Introduction; Munthe as a theoretician; 'Homeless in our own living room'. Early applied art; The fairy tale watercolours; Tapestries; Book illustrations; Private and public room decorations; Applied art; The King Hakon's Hall in Bergen; Gerhard Munthe's legacy; Bibliography; Index. Published to accompany the Exhibition at The National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Oslo, 8 June-2 September 2018.