Major Emil Nolde exhibition for the first time in Norway

Norwegian foreign minister Espen Barth Eide opens the exhibition in Oslo’s National Gallery / Exhibition of the Expressionist on view until January 2013

Oslo, 25-10-2012 — /europawire.eu/ — As the main sponsor, Wintershall is supporting the first major exhibition of Emil Nolde (1867-1956) in Norway: in an official ceremony, Norwegian foreign minister Espen Barth Eide opened the exhibition of the German artist, who is one of the most important representatives of Expressionism. Under the title “Emil Nolde. In Search for the Authentic”, the National Gallery in the National Museum (Oslo) is presenting a comprehensive selection of his paintings from 12 October 2012 until 20 January 2013.

Art – a bridge between cultures

“We are delighted to be able to support this exhibition of this major German Expressionist here in Norway”, explains Martin Bachmann, who as an Executive Board Member of Germany’s largest oil and natural gas producer is responsible for exploration and production. “The fact that Wintershall has managed to become one of the largest licence holders on the Norwegian Continental Shelf in less than a decade is also substantially due to the open and cordial environment that we have found here. In this spirit, our engagement for the Nolde exhibition is also a thank you to the citizens of Norway.”

“By sponsoring the exhibition, we would like to further deepen the mutual understanding between Norway and Germany and strengthen the already close partnership between the two countries,” adds Bernd Schrimpf, Managing Director of Wintershall Norge. He says that art is one of the most sustainable ways to foster understanding between people of different origins – an understanding that is not only of elementary importance for Wintershall with its projects in Norway. As a globally active oil and gas enterprise, the company employs more than 2000 members of staff from around 40 nations.

“In Search of the Authentic”

The Nolde exhibition offers an insight into the enormous thematic range of his paintings, which in addition to religious and erotic motives also include bizarre fantasies. On show are portraits along with paintings of flourishing gardens and tranquil landscapes. In his works, the Expressionist painter articulated his growing dissatisfaction with contemporary Western society, which he countered with his own idealised concept of the “noble savage”. “This also explains the title of the exhibition: In Search of the Authentic,” explains Nils Ohlsen, Director of Old Masters and Modern Art at the National Museum in Oslo. “The paintings from Nolde still challenge viewers today to question their own social precepts. However, people must decide for themselves whether they agree with the concept of an authentic life sketched out by him. Nevertheless, one of the greatest merits of Nolde is, without doubt, the fact that he encourages critical self-reflection – and that is of course one of the most distinguishing qualities of important art.”

Wintershall Norge AS is one of the largest license holders in Norway with more than 40 licenses and over 20 operatorships. In 2011 the company invested around half of its global exploration budget in the Norwegian Continental Shelf alone. Wintershall plans to invest up to two billion euros in exploration and field development in Norway and the UK by 2015 and intends to raise production to 50,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day. The fields Knarr, Edvard Grieg and Cladhan are expected to contribute to meeting this target. The company is based in Stavanger and today employs around 200 staff.

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Major Emil Nolde exhibition for the first time in Norway