New purchases 1997–1999

The Norwegian Cultural Council’s acquisition committee for visual art and crafts has completed its two-year term, and is presenting the results of its purchases at Oslo Kunstforening and Unge Kunstneres Samfund (UKS), Rådhusgaten 19, from May 3 to 25.

“Buying art on behalf of the Norwegian Cultural Council has not been an undivided pleasure,” writes committee chair Karin Blehr in the exhibition catalogue. The art world is changing, but the committee’s mandate does not reflect this shift. The committee has had to make decisions that raise questions about the framework and conditions of its work. When the clause prioritizing “young, experimental art” was removed in 1993, it coincided with a generational shift in Norwegian art. In the years that followed, young artists have made their mark both artistically and through unconventional forms of mediation.

The committee chose to engage with this new modern avant-gardism and gave it high priority. Installations, video, and photography were among the media they focused on. Some of the acquired works should be seen as markers of the time and expressions of a particular zeitgeist. Based on this practice, the committee chair has shared some critical reflections on the future of the acquisition program in the catalogue text.

The exhibition fills the gallery spaces, but the main committee has deliberately allowed certain works to remain undisturbed in the rooms. As a result, the exhibition appears as a blend of salon and solo presentation, “autumn exhibition” and a carefully curated group show. In total, approximately 200 works by nearly as many artists are presented, all acquired during the period 1995 to 1997.

The main committee of the Cultural Council’s acquisition committee for visual art and crafts during the period from April 1995 to April 1997 consisted of art historian Karin Blehr, art expert and art advisor Lars Elton, visual artist Børre Larsen, and craftsman Elsie-Ann Hochlin.

Text translated by Oslo Kunstforening in 2025