Like much of Europe, the Nordic countries underwent a profound artistic transformation at the end of the nineteenth century. Many artists, displeased with the rigidity of their art academies, travelled south to seek inspiration and novel methods. Munich, Düsseldorf and Paris were crucial hubs for the progression of Nordic art, but it was the atmosphere of the French capital which paved the way initially for Naturalism and later for the Impressionist and Symbolist qualities on display in this exhibition. With their proverbial suitcases filled to the brim with new ways to approach art, Nordic artists returned to their native lands not only to challenge the academies they had left but also to lay a mark on the direction of their nations at the turn of the century.

 

CATALOGUE