Program for 2024

Erling Kagge meets Rasmus Meyer

The new year starts with the new exhibition Composition for the Left Hand where contemporary art from the collection of polar explorer and adventurer Erling Kagge intersects with rarely displayed historical works from the Kode collection.

In a revisionary approach to presenting the museum collection, nearly 400 works from artists from either side of the past 100 years entangle and intertwine to produce conversations between the works – Synnøve Anker Aurdal with Tauba Auerbach, Anne Imhof with Francisco Goya, Peder Balke with Trisha Donnelly, J. C. Dahl with Wolfgang Tillmans, Frida Hansen with Marc Camille Chaimowicz, Käthe Kollwitz with Christian Krogh, and Honoré Daumier with Raymond Pettibon, among others.

The exhibition is curated by Marta Kuzma, an American curator, theorist, and professor at Yale School of Art. The exhibition is part of a series of projects at Kode in 2023–24 under the theme 'The Collectors', where the museum shines a light on historically significant collectors, who have been dedicated to making their collections publicly accessible.

On display at Rasmus Meyer and Permanenten from February 16 to June 9.

Springtime concert program

A variety of expressions is presented at Kode's composer's home this spring.

Among the highlights is a star-studded concert featuring music by Ole Bull performed by Charlie Siem and Håvard Gimse, and a rendition of Pierrot Lunaire, Schönberg's groundbreaking masterpiece, by Tora Augestad with BIT20.

We also continue to delve into the music of our own composers, including a concert lecture on Harald Sæverud's blood-curdling 'Bluebeard's Castle Nightmare.'

New this year is that we offer the concerts as packages, carefully curated for different experiences.

The Composer in residence 2024

Andreas Gundersen (born 1993) is a Sámi pianist and composer from Tana and, in 2024, will become Kode's youngest Composer in Residence to date.

The Composer in Residence project at Kode started in 2021 with the aim of highlighting the recognition of contemporary composers. Each composer brings their unique perspective on how they want to shape their year.

"Bull, Grieg, and Sæverud all built their music on Norwegian folk music in their own ways. An essential part of Andreas's artistic expression is rooted in the Sámi culture to which he belongs, thereby carrying forward this tradition into our contemporary era," says Christian Grøvlen, Director for the Kode Composer homes.

We look forward to commissioned works and a variety of other projects, which will be developed and launched throughout the year. Stay tuned!

Hanne Friis in Lysverket

The Norwegian artist Hanne Friis creates sensory spaces with dizzying leaps, and just before the summer, we present a new installation by Friis created specifically for the futuristic Tower Room at Lysverket.

Friis is known for her monumental textile installations that she hand-dyes and then sculpts on-site through a time-consuming sewing technique.

On display in Lysverket from May 24 to September 15.

Indigenous histories in Stenersen

Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand (MASP) in collaboration with Kode is presenting the major group exhibition Histórias indígenas / Indigenous Histories opening at Kode on April 26.

The exhibition presents different accounts of indigenous experience from South America, North America, Oceania, and the Nordic region, through art and visual culture, curated by artists and researchers who are indigenous or of indigenous descent.

The show will bring together around 285 works of multiple media, typologies, origins and periods, from the period before European colonization to the present, by more than 170 artists.

On display at Stenersen from April 26 to August 28.

Graphic works by Georg Baselitz

German artist Georg Baselitz has turned the art world upside down for over 60 years. This year, Kode will present graphic works by Baselitz in large formats across all the halls at Stenersen.

Georg Baselitz (b. 1938) is renowned for his significant contributions to German Neo-Expressionism and is particularly acclaimed for his paintings, graphic works, and sculptures. Baselitz draws inspiration from German culture, history, and artistic traditions, and his works often reflect the challenges of society and art.

On display at Stenersen in late autumn and winter 2024-25. More information to come.

Anniversary for Rasmus Meyer

In 2024, it is 100 years since the building named after the collector Rasmus Meyer opened for the public.

Several of our exhibitions this year will revisit the theme of both the collector and the collection, including Marta Kuzma's curation in Composition for the Left Hand and Heidi Bjørgan's exhibition in late autumn.

The Bergen industrialist Rasmus Meyer (1858–1916) was a passionate art lover who accumulated a significant art collection throughout his life.

When he died, his heirs donated the collection to Bergen. They stipulated that the collection should be displayed as a whole and made publicly accessible. The municipality decided to build a public museum for the collection.

In 1924, a new museum building designed for the city of Bergen by Ole Landmark was completed by Lille Lungegårdsvann.

We celebrate Ambrosia Tønnesen!

Ambrosia Tønnesen (1859–1948) was one of the first professional sculptors in Norway, with a significant body of work in the late 19th century. She exhibited in Paris and received important commissions at home.

Among her notable works is the J.C. Dahl monument – the bronze sculpture located on the facade of Permanenten.

We look forward to showcasing a wide selection of Tønnesen's works in a broad exhibition.

On display at Permanenten from September 6 to December 3.

Heidi + Rasmus = True Love

The jubilee year for Rasmus Meyer concludes with yet another intervention in his collections.

In this exhibition, the Norwegian artist and curator, Heidi Bjørgan, weaves connections between Rasmus Meyer's collecting endeavors and her own artistic passion for the history of ceramics, resulting in a captivating showcase that simultaneously challenges and enchants.

With her contemporary female artistic perspective, Heidi Bjørgan initiates compelling dialogues within Rasmus Meyer's collection presentation, which is predominantly comprised of paintings by male artistic geniuses, offering a fresh and surprising interpretation.

On display at Rasmus Meyer from November 15 to April 18, 2025.

Internasjonale samarbeid

Kode's silver collection presented in the U.S.:

The exhibition 'Crowning the North' is set to be showcased at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, one of the largest art museums in the United States, from February to May 2024.

It will feature over 200 silver artifacts from the collections of Kode Bergen Art Museum along with Bergen University Museum, and the private collection of Norwegian collector Christen Sveaas. This marks the first time that Bergen's goldsmith art is presented to an American audience.

The Backer sisters to Stockholm and Paris:

Throughout 2023-2025, Harriet Backer is featured in a new exhibition collaboration, highlighting the innovative aspects of Backer's art and examining her central role in Norwegian cultural life. The exhibition, currently on display at the National Museum until January 14, explores Backer's life, artistic development, and societal position during a time when women's rights underwent radical changes.

In 2024, the exhibition travels to Stockholm and Paris, this time also including her sister, the composer Agathe Backer Grøndahl. The exhibition will be showcased at Kode in 2025.

We look forward to sharing more about the journey of the Backer sisters!