New presentation of Munch and Astrup

Munch back in Bergen

This spring, we are marking the return of our main works by Munch to Bergen.

In 2022, most of the most central works were on loan for exhibitions in London and Paris. Read more about the loan here.

In a newly installed second floor of Rasmus Meyer's collections, space will be given to new stories about the collector Meyer and his relationship with Munch and other artists of his time, such as Nikolai Astrup, Harriet Backer and Kitty Kielland.

About the Munch collection at Kode

One of the world's oldest and most important collections of Munch's works is located at Kode.

It originates from the collection Rasmus Meyer built up in the early 20th century, in close collaboration with the artist himself. The collection was intended to follow Munch's artistic development, and covered all the various phases of Munch's artistry up to then.

The museum's collection of Munch's pictures has since been increased with Bergen Billedgalleri's purchases, and not least with Rolf Stenersen's gift to Bergen in 1971.

Follows Munch through life

In this new permanent exhibition, we can follow the young Munch from the first naturalistic paintings, through experiments with form and color and up to his main artistic project - the Frieze of Life.

This boundary-breaking series about modern man's innermost longings and anguish turned the perception of what art can be upside down.

From these expressionist masterpieces, we follow the mature artist's path towards new interests and to the brighter images from his later artistry.

Here you can see the previous presentation of the Munch collection in Rasmus Meyer:

Astrup returns home

Later this spring you can again see works by Nikolai Astrup at Kode, with a new installation at Rasmus Meyer.

This gives us the largest ever presentation of Astrup in Rasmus Meyer, with around 15 works.

This page will be updated with more information about the date for the opening of the new presentation.

Rasmus Meyer and Astrup

In May 1908, Rasmus Meyer went to Nikolai Astrup's big exhibition at Bergen Kunstforening - which at the time had its premises at the Permanenten.

The collector was delighted with the young western artist, and bought several paintings. The exhibition was the start of an important collaboration, where Astrup himself was able to influence the selection.

To Astrup's disappointment, not all Astrup pictures were part of the donation of Rasmus Meyer's collection in 1916. Among other things, the family wanted to keep the monumental "Midsummer Eve Bonfire" from 1915.

Later, however, several of the pictures Meyer bought from Astrup came to the museum, among long-term loans from private owners.

This spring, for the first time, we will bring these paintings together again in Rasmus Meyer's collections.