What happens when the North meets Japan? An exhibition about the transformative impact of Japonisme in Nordic art.
Exotic geishas, new ways of depicting nature and rarefied aesthetics. Encountering Japanese art changes the European art scene in the second half of the nineteenth century, and the widespread enthusiasm for all things Japanese also makes itself felt in Nordic art. Compositions become more asymmetrical, and the imagery becomes more decorative, simplified and meditative.
Artists turn their attention to microcosms, studying birds, fish, insects, branches and flowers in minute detail. The snow-capped Mount Fuji, blossoming cherry trees and “The Great Wave” – Japanese art changes the art scene in Europe. This exhibition tells the story of the advent of Japonisme through works by artists such as Edvard Munch, Vilhelm Hammershøi, Anna Ancher, L.A. Ring, Van Gogh, Albert Edelfelt and Claude Monet.
Japanomania in the North 1875-1918 is arranged in co-operation with Ateneum in Helsinki and Nasjonalmuseet in Oslo. It is the first exhibition (19.01.2017 - 23.04.2017) ever held on Danish soil to demonstrate the influence of Japonisme on Danish and Nordic art. Text: SMK- National Gallery of Denmaark)