NOW HERE, THEN THERE: PART 1, spotlight on Bjørn Nørgaard

Susanne and Bjørn Nørgaard began their collaboration in 1980, working initially with prints which were published together with Niels Borch Jensen. It was in 1983 that Susanne realised the first exhibition at Store Kongensgade, presenting a solo show of sculptures by Bjørn Nørgaard. The exhibition also featured the artist's 6-part print ‘Slagtet på Rheden’, an iconic work that later contributed to Nørgaard being invited to create the 17 tapestries for Queen Margrethe II's 50th birthday. The project began in 1990, with the artist creating full scale plans of the monumental tapestries to send to the two Parisian ateliers tasked with bringing his designs to life, but it was 10 years before they were complete! In 2000 (for the Queen's 60th!), the work was installed at the palace with a fitting inauguration dinner attended by the Royal Family and with a speech by Nørgaard. You can still experience these special tapestries today, which remain on view at Christiansborg Palace. The artist also presented ceramic models for the work ‘Menneskemuren’ in his first exhibition with the gallery in 1983. 'Menneskemuren' was to feature in a major Nordic exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum and was made as a tribute to the diversity of New York as Nørgaard experienced it at the time. The work was later acquired by The National Gallery of Denmark where it was on view for 10 years. It has since been on loan to Horsens Art Museum where it is placed prominently in front of the museum. Coming to the present day - 40 years later - NOW HERE, THEN THERE: PART 1 will re-create Nørgaard's very first exhibition, bringing it from Store Kongensgade to Gothersgade. Both ‘Slaget på Rheden’ and the drafts for ‘Menneskemuren’ will be presented together once more. For the occasion of 40 years, Bjørn Nørgaard performed one of his infamous 'actions' on the opening day of the exhibition, titled ‘MONSVENERIS: AKTION’. Pictured here, Susanne and Bjørn Nørgaard at his Copenhagen studio in 1987.

Martin Erik Andersen, Pernille With Madsen, Bjørn Nørgaard, Kirsten Ortwed, Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art, 22 Apr - 28 May 2023

We are delighted to share that four gallery artists, Martin Erik Andersen, Pernille With Madsen, and Bjørn Nørgaard are participating at this year's Den Frie exhibition in Copenhagen. The historically important group exhibition brings together works by the members of Denmark's oldest artists' association and surveys contemporary tendencies in Danish art annually. Learn more about this year's edition, titled Free Hands, by clicking here. Captured here is an installation view from the show, with Bjørn Nørgaard's monumental sculpture The Burghers of Calais (1985/2022), to the right. Photo: David Stjernholm

Bjørn Nørgaard, 'Sapientia', Skejby Hospital, Aarhus

Galleri Susanne Ottesen is pleased to announce the unveiling of Bjørn Nørgaard's bronze sculpture Sapientia in front of Skejby Hospital, Aarhus. The work was unveiled Friday 28 October 2022. Sapientia is a new and twice as large interpretation of Nørgaard's earlier work Göttin der vielen Fähigkeiten, which has been placed inside the hospital since 1987. Sapientia was created in collaboration with the Art Association at Skejby Hospital. Photo: the artist.

Bjørn Nørgaard works acquired by Horsens Art Museum

The gallery is thrilled to share that Horsens Art Museum, Horsens, Denmark has recently acquired two works by gallery artists Bjørn Nørgaard. The groups of works titled Mrs. Yin and Mr. Yang (2019) and Zodiacs (2017; captured here to the right) are now part of the museum's permanent collection. Click here to read more about the artist's practice. Photo: Jacob Friis-Holm Nielsen

Martin Erik Andersen, Pernille With Madsen, Bjørn Nørgaard, Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art, 25 Mar - 29 May 2022

The annual exhibition titled Den Frie Udstilling 2022 has just opened its doors at Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art in Copenhagen, Denmark. We are delighted to share that among others, work by three gallery artists Martin Erik Andersen (b. 1964), Pernille With Madsen (b. 1972), and Bjørn Nørgaard (b. 1947) is featured in the show. Den Frie Udstilling, which has received the subtitle Atmospheres – Action, Euphoria, Melancholy, Spirituality this year, is a historically significant exhibition platform surveying current tendencies in Danish contemporary art. For more information, click here. Captured here are the two sculptures by Martin Erik Andersen on view in the exhibition, Blind Laser (2019, to the right) and Hierophant (Blind Diophantus the Arab) (2019). Photo: David Stjernholm

Bjørn Nørgaard's performance, Wo ist Element 3?

Last weekend gallery artist Bjørn Nørgaard (b. 1947) did yet another performance, titled Wo ist Element 3?, in Manresa, Spain. The performance, which Nørgaard himself defines as an 'action', was a tribute to Joseph Beuys and Ignatius of Loyola and was accompanied by sound composers Christophe and Egon Charles. Photo: Manresa 2022

Bjørn Nørgaard's performance, Wo ist Element 3

Danish artist Bjørn Nørgaard (b. 1947) just visited the city of Manresa in Catalonia, Spain, within the framework of the city’s project Manresa 2022. Alongside a ‘speech-action’ and a television interview, Nørgaard also gave a lecture about late German artist Joseph Beuys’ influence on contemporary art. In 1966, Bjørn Nørgaard and Henning Christiansen were the first artists ever to participate in one of Beuys’ own performative actions titled Manresa, taking place in Düsseldorf, Germany. While Nørgaard’s work as a sculptor is well known, his performative ‘actions’ are a significant part of his oeuvre as well. Captured here is a photo from his ‘speech-action’ performed in Manresa last week under the title Wo ist Element 3. Photo: Manresa 2022.

Bjørn Nørgaard, Horsens Art Museum, 01 Jun 2021 - 30 Jan 2022

Make sure to visit the solo exhibition of Danish artist Bjørn Nørgaard, currently on view in Horsens Art Museum. This comprehensive show brings together earlier and more recent works by Nørgaard. The installation Materia et Spiritus, Materia et Corpus, Materia et Frictio, Materia et Actio, Materia et Syntaksis (2020), a detail of which is captured here on the right, entered the museum's permanent collection recently and is also on display in the exhibition. Learn more by clicking here. Photo: Jacob Friis-Holm Nielsen