From 25 May to 1 September, Else Hagen’s artistry will fill the Trondheim Art Museum. Colorful paintings of honest everyday life in the center will adorn the entire second floor.
Between people takes a unique deep dive into Hagen’s extensive and varied career.
– We are really looking forward to being able to show it off, says department head Ida Grøttum at Trondheim Art Museum.
Art on tour
Grøttum elaborates that they have been working on this for several years. The exhibition is a collaboration between the National Museum in Oslo, Stavanger Art Museum, Kunstsilo in Kristiansand and Trondheim Art Museum.
The result of this work will now travel from museum to museum.
– It is very nice to be able to work like that. It takes time to mature such a project.
The exhibition will change slightly depending on the venue.
– We have been lucky enough to be able to borrow some works from private owners in Trondheim that are only shown here, says Grøttum.
She believes that this way of working creates quality for the audience.
– It is a very elaborate collaboration. We have exchanged ideas, worked our way through the artistry and how it should be presented.
Together, the museums have also written the first book about Else Hagen.
– Not having a book about her has been a real loss. It was lovely to get my hands on it, says Grøttum and smiles.
With 200 pages, the book shows an overview of Hagen’s career as well as all the works exhibited in the exhibition.
– It also contains texts with different focuses from the museums involved, says Grøttum.
Uncompromising and cool woman
She goes on to say that Hagen has perhaps not been referred to as an important artist in our time.
– She is not a forgotten artist, but for many this is experienced as a new acquaintance.
She questions the fact that Hagen is not mentioned more in recent Norwegian history. Here she pulls out an example from Gunnar Danbolt’s Norwegian art history where Hagen is mentioned in a footnote about another artist. Grøttum does not have a definitive answer as to why this is so.
– We hope it is something the public can also wonder about when they see the works. Why has this artistry been so little visible?
Hagen lived from 1914 to 2010 and worked a lot with public decorations.
– She was concerned that art should be owned by everyone and be where people were, says Grøttum.
She was a mother, but also had an active career as a visual artist. This dual role is present in several of her works.
– Combining an artistic career with motherhood has always been a challenge. I have become more aware of it since I started working with Else Hagen, says Grøttum.
Something that has also characterized the exhibited art is Hagen’s interest in free dance and feminism.
– It is an artistry with many threads to pull in. It is almost difficult to define it, says Grøttum.
She herself is characterized by having worked with artistry for several years.
– I feel like I’ve been talking about Else Hagen’s life and work for an eternity, she says and smiles.
She is looking forward to the results of the work being displayed.
– I think all of us here at the museum have been inspired by Else Hagen. She seems like a cool, uncompromising lady, says Grøttum.
An undisguised everyday life
The exhibition mainly consists of paintings and graphics with motifs taken from everyday situations.
– The images are recognizable to people. There are people, children at play and everyday frustration. There is something real there that people appreciate, says Grøttum.
She singles out “Family”, a painting that portrays a nursing mother who oozes frustration and chaos.
– It is an alternative to the harmonious representation of the nursing mother. Her still life motifs are also often shown in natural contexts. There are women showering, getting ready for meetings or drying their hair.
– It reinforces the idea that sexuality is something you have for yourself, not for others, says Grøttum.
Furthermore, she emphasizes Hagen’s skills in the use of color and composition.
– She mixes a strict compositional system with human life and playful motifs, and there is a distinctive quality in her use of colour.
The works are now on their way from Stavanger to Trondheim. The opening date is approaching and the enthusiasm is growing.
– The difference between planning an exhibition and getting it up on the wall always amazes me. It’s the same size every time. I am so excited.
