About Kunstverket

Kunstverket Galleri has since its establishment in 1989 worked with contemporary art from the Nordic countries. Our main focus is to promote and display high quality works on paper and graphic prints from established and renowned Nordic artists. The gallery is located in Kirkegata 5 in Oslo, right in the square known as Kvadraturen, a popular area for contemporary art galleries. Today, we have a total of 6 employees, divided between three individual departments: the Gallery, the Art-in-Architecture Department and the Prints-and Publications Department.

Exhibitions program

Kunstverket Galleri intends to promote graphic prints and works on paper as a serious contributor to the Norwegian contemporary art scene. Through curating and promoting exhibitions which displays the foremost graphic print artists in the Nordic region, the exhibitions program will manifest itself by contributing with something unique for every show; to educate the audience in the knowledge that graphic prints is a serious contender and an independent technique on the contemporary art scene. 

The exhibitions program functions as one of the most dynamic departments in the gallery, as exhibitions are changed monthly - displaying the foremost contemporary artists working with graphic prints and works on paper. The main focus is solo-exhibitions with established artists showing new works and, for them, new techniques. Through invitation only, the artists are encouraged to focus on new techniques, thus creating unique shows that are quite different from what the audience would usually meet in a gallery dealing with prints. 

Once a year, a group show is curated based on the newest events on the contemporary art scene. These shows intend to show several artists working within the same genre or under concepts such as Nordic Graphic Prints or contemporary trends. 

Our vision is to breathe new life into the city of Oslo's awareness of contemporary art through a combination of individual and group exhibitions, projects and happenings. 

The Art-in-Architecture Department has extensive experience in the selection and arrangement of artworks designed to enhance specific architectural environments. We have worked with everything from the placing of individual pieces of art to extensive projects integrating numerous artworks within a larger architectural landscape.

Our Printmaking/Publication Department contains Norway’s single largest selection of contemporary prints by nearly 400 national and international artists, many of whom work through distinguished national art institutes. Through our print publication department, we work numerous respected printmaking workshops throughout Europe.

It is our goal to allow the intentional arrangement of the pieces to create a pleasing internal environment and to build upon and improve the external image of the company with whom we are working.

All of our employees endeavour to maintain continuous knowledge of the latest styles and trends and most recent developments within our field. In addition, we take great care to ensure that all art circulating through our establishment incorporates the following core values:

Quality: All artworks at Kunstverket Gallery are of the highest quality; and the majority of artists represented have degrees from prominent art academies and colleges. We obtain their work through national and/or international institutions.

• Originality: We work hard to maintain the highest professional and ethical standards.
• Durability of Value: All of the art represented by Kunstverket is of an enduring and long-lasting value.

Our references include: the office of the Prime Minister, numerous governmental offices, the Norwegian Parliament, Statoil, Norsk Hydro, Aker ASA, Telenor, Norske Shell ASA, Statkraft, Vinmonopolet, Storebrand, Gjensidige, Hurtigruten Group, and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.




 

Kunstverket Galleri Hovedøya

In 2008, we opened one a new exhibitions project at Hovedøya, the main island in the local fjord in Oslo. This 600 m2 space is located in one of Oslo's historical buildings, the largest remaining tudor house built as part of the defense of the city in 1847.

Kunstverket Galleri Hovedøya functions mainly as a summer gallery, with larger exhibitions of contemporary artists. The space provides a unique frame for the exhibitions, with exposed brick walls and freestanding white walls. The space is open from mid May to mid August, and changes exhibitions once during the summer months. As the space is located at the island counting the most visitors during the summer, this space is particular also offers concerts, events and lectures. 

Since its inception in 2008, the space has shown tremendous prospect in exhibiting some of the most comprehensive solo-shows and group exhibitions for Kunstverket Galleri. Popular artists such as Morten Krogvold, Frans Widerberg, Edyta Sobieraj, Roj Friberg and Elisabeth Werp have all filled the space with their contemporary works, with various techniques.

Group shows exhibiting artists such as Inger Sitter, Olav Christopher Jenssen, Jacob Dahlgren, Magne Furuholmen, Arne Bendik Sjur, Erling Valtyrson, Terje Resell, Lars Elling, Kjell Nupen, Ørnulf Opdahl and Lars Lerin have all provided the opportunity to create concepts showing a wide variety of works and an overall view of what is happening on the contemporary art scene.

The summer of 2017 was the last exhibition season at Kunstverket Galleri Hovedøya.