Asta Nørregaard: Forgotten Feminist Painter Gets Landmark Reappraisal at Oslo's National Museum
From 28 May to 18 October 2026, the Nasjonalmuseet in Oslo will present a significant retrospective of Asta Nørregaard (1853–1933), entitled 'Asta Nørregaard: Truth and Beauty.' This exhibition showcases 48 pieces, including the notable work 'In the Studio' (1883). Nørregaard earned acclaim at the Paris Salon in 1881 and 1882 and was a participant in the 1889 Exposition Universelle. Despite her achievements, she was frequently categorized as a 'fashion painter.' The exhibition emphasizes her feminist ideals, featuring models such as Ragna Nielsen and Katti Anker Møller. Nørregaard established a painting school in Norway and released a catalogue raisonné in 1911, leaving her estate to aid women artists when she passed away in 1933.
Key facts
- The exhibition 'Asta Nørregaard: Truth and Beauty' runs from 28 May to 18 October 2026 at Nasjonalmuseet in Oslo.
- The show features 48 works by the Norwegian painter (1853–1933), who was largely forgotten after her death.
- A self-portrait 'In the Studio' (1883), depicting her painting an altarpiece for Gjøvik church in her Montmartre studio, opens the exhibition.
- Nørregaard exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1881 and 1882 and at the 1889 Exposition Universelle.
- Chief curator Wenche Volle notes Nørregaard rejected the idea that art for women was merely a social pastime.
- Nørregaard was often dismissed as a 'fashion painter' due to her detailed attention to clothing.
- She portrayed feminist friends and activists, including Ragna Nielsen and Katti Anker Møller, the latter whose work helped establish the 1915 Castberg laws.
- Upon her death in 1933, she left a fortune (equivalent to €2 million) to support women artists and retired unmarried female pianists and music teachers.
Entities
Artists
- Asta Nørregaard
- Harriet Backer
- Wenche Volle
- Ragna Nielsen
- Katti Anker Møller
- Elisabeth Fearnley
- Børre Høstland
- Morten Henden Aamodt
- Øystein Thorvaldsen
- Rune Aakvik
Institutions
- Nasjonalmuseet for kunst, arkitektur og design
- Musée d'Orsay
- Oslo Museum
- Det norske selskab
- Astrup Fearnley Collection
- Morgenbladet
- Norwegian Association for Women's Rights
- Norwegian Association of Female Painters
Locations
- Oslo
- Norway
- Paris
- France
- Munich
- Germany
- Gjøvik
- Montmartre
- Scandinavia