Press release -
WORLD CLASS ART, THE SHAPE OF FREEDOM KICKS OFF MUNCH’S 2023 PROGRAMME
The Shape of Freedomopens this year’s programme with a wide range of abstract art featuring international names such as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Jean Dubuffet, Joan Mitchell, Lee Krasner and more. The Shape of Freedom will be the largest exhibition of its kind ever presented in Norway – a rare chance for the public to indulge themselves in a feast of colours, forms and sensations.
Currently, there is much public debate around freedom of expression.
This exhibition has many stories to tell about friendships and freedom. It also highlights some of the female abstract artists who played a crucial role in the movement.
This was a time in which artists viewed a changed world with fresh eyes. The horrors of the Second World War, the Holocaust and atomic destruction affected people on both sides of the Atlantic. In reaction to the reverberations after the war, artists developed revolutionary ideas and innovative techniques.
The result was an artistic movement focused on abstract forms, expressive methods and an awakening sense of freedom, in both the USA and western Europe. The images may be abstract, but many of the works are rooted in genuine emotions or experiences. Visitors will be able to see a broad range of artists and their radical new painting techniques.
In today’s increasingly turbulent world, many of the experiences that fueled these artists’ creativity have resurfaced. How can this exhibition resonate with the current war in Europe and global unrest?
The exhibition is divided into thematic sections showing various different angles and perspectives on the abstract paintings. Many of the artists represented in this show – some of them immigrants and refugees themselves – were concerned with freedom of expression and sought new ways to express themselves. American painters, particularly liked to experiment with larger and larger surfaces. In Europe, by contrast, the art often reflected the trauma and destruction of war – all in different types of abstract form. The exhibition architecture gives viewers the chance to experience the works in a special atmosphere, and to come even closer to the art via archive photos, videos and the artists’ own words.
- Our visitors can look forward to seeing a world-class exhibition here. We are showing famous and well-established names in the canon of abstract art next to less familiar artists who were nevertheless vitally important in their time, says Tone Hansen, director at MUNCH.
- The flowering of abstraction after 1945 marks one of the most exciting periods in the history of modern art. The Shape of Freedom explores this development from a transatlantic perspective and places its focus on the vibrant art centers of post-war Paris and New York. The selection of paintings is rich and includes numerous masterpieces that will be on display in Norway for the very first time, says Daniel Zamini, curator for The Shape of Freedom
Selected works here
Notes to editors:
Exhibition curated by Dr. Daniel Zamani and shown at MUNCH in Oslo, Museum Barberini in Potsdam and Albertina Modern in Vienna, with generous support from Fondation Gandur pour l'Art, Geneva.
The exhibition consists of 72 artworks. No Munch works are included.
42 artists are represented.
Exhibition period: 23.2.23 – 21.5.23.
3rd floor of MUNCH
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MUNCH is home to the world's largest collection of works by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. 22 October 2021, MUNCH will open in a brand new building on Oslo’s waterfront. The bespoke structure, designed by estudio Herreros, will house more than 26,000 works that Edvard Munch bequeathed to the City of Oslo. The museum also manages collections donated by Rolf Stenersen, Amaldus Nielsen and Ludvig Ravensberg.
The new museum will trace the artist’s profound influence both on modern art and on artists through to the present day. Alongside displays of iconic artworks from the renowned permanent collection, temporary exhibitions will show Edvard Munch’s lasting influence in his own contemporary society, as well as on today’s generation of artists.
Visitors will experience the highlights of Edvard Munch’s oeuvre, in parallel with a wide-ranging programme of cultural events and experiences for visitors of all ages. From its location in Bjørvika, with unparalleled views of the Oslo Fjord, the museum will offer an extensive program of art and cultural experiences across thirteen floors.
