Art Review: ‘Nikolai Astrup: Visions of Norway’ at Clark Art Institute

I’d been waiting for the Clark Art Institute’s new exhibition, Nikolai Astrup: Visions of Norway, for a long time. The Clark’s summer shows are, to me, the start of the season. They’re almost always bespoke in theme. The museum is intuitive in its selection of the best art and has the clout to get whatever loans it wants. Its shows, even the bow-wow ones, are always beautifully presented. The Clark has a country setting and lots of French and American landscapes, so it’s a place for indoor and outdoor enjoyment. It’s an academic institution, too, so its exhibitions are scholarly.

A couple of years ago, I wrote about a survey show at the Phillips Collection in Washington displaying Scandinavian art from the mid 19th century to today. With only one Munch, the Phillips show introduced a world of artists and movements new to me and the distinct aesthetics of a place I barely knew aside from the Vikings, Greta Garbo, and The Scream. Astrup (1880–1928) is well known in Norway but not here. The Clark hired MaryAnne Stevens, the curator emeritus at the Royal Academy and one of the finest curators in the English-speaking world. I knew it would be memorable, in the best way.

About the Author

Brian T. Allen

Brian T. Allen is National Review’s art critic.

I’d been waiting for the Clark Art Institute’s new exhibition, Nikolai Astrup: Visions of Norway, for a long time. The Clark’s summer shows are, to me, the start of the season. They’re almost always bespoke in theme. The museum is intuitive in its selection of the best art and has the clout to get whatever loans it wants. Its shows, even the bow-wow ones, are always beautifully presented. The Clark has a country setting and lots of French and American landscapes, so it’s a place for indoor and outdoor enjoyment. It’s an academic institution, too, so its exhibitions are scholarly.

A couple of years ago, I wrote about a survey show at the Phillips Collection in Washington displaying Scandinavian art from the mid 19th century to today. With only one Munch, the Phillips show introduced a world of artists and movements new to me and the distinct aesthetics of a place I barely knew aside from the Vikings, Greta Garbo, and The Scream. Astrup (1880–1928) is well known in Norway but not here. The Clark hired MaryAnne Stevens, the curator emeritus at the Royal Academy and one of the finest curators in the English-speaking world. I knew it would be memorable, in the best way.