The Collection
A CENTURY OF ARTISTS INSPIRED BY LOFOTEN
The collection at Galleri Lofoten brings together paintings from Norway’s Golden Age alongside contemporary and international artists. Together, they tell the story of a place that has inspired painters for more than a century.
NORWAY'S
GOLDEN AGE
The turn of the 20th century marked a monumental era often referred to as the Golden Age of North Norwegian painting. Here, you will find Norway’s most expansive collection from this period, preserving the exact moments when artists first unlocked the magic of the Arctic light.
In the latter half of the nineteenth century, a generation of Norwegian painters made their way north. They came for the light, which is unlike anything elsewhere in Europe, and for the majesty of a landscape that seemed to exist beyond the reach of ordinary life.
What they produced was an extraordinary body of work. Painters such as Gunnar Berg, Adelsteen Normann, Otto Sinding, Even Ulving, Einar Berger, Ole Juul and Thorolf Holmboe documented Lofoten at a moment of pristine beauty, before the modern world arrived. Their fishermen, harbours, storms and summer evenings became the defining images of the Norwegian north.
OUR ARTISTS
Meet the artist at the heart of Galleri Lofoten’s collection, from the painters of Norway’s Golden
Age to some of the country’s leading contemporary artists.
WHAT’S ON
NOW OPEN: Current Exhibition: Ole Ertzeid
STAY
INFORMED
Get the latest news on upcoming exhibitions, events, and gallery updates.
CONTEMPORARY WORKS
Following the blue stairs up brings visitors to the top floor of Galleri Lofoten, where the story of the building itself takes centre stage. A historical exhibition traces the life of this former fish landing station, from the height of the cod season to its transformation into one of Lofoten’s most celebrated cultural spaces.
Alongside it, works by Frans Widerberg, Nico Widerberg and Ørnulf Opdahl are on show, and available to acquire. Contemporary Norwegian art has long been in conversation with the landscape and history that surrounds it, and few places make that conversation more vivid than a room like this one.
PAST EXHIBITIONS
Galleri Lofoten regularly presents the work of invited artists alongside the permanent collection. Here is a record of past featured exhibitions.