Marianne Bratteli’s art revolves around the great emotions in life: about family, closeness and loneliness. The exhibition has been created in collaboration with MUNCH and lasts from 7 May to 28 August 2022.
Watch the report and interview by NRK here
Marianne Bratteli (1951-) works in an expressive style, and her art contains central life themes and strong emotions. As the daughter of former Prime Minister Trygve Bratteli, her experiences from growing up in post-war Norway are central to her art.
Bratteli often expresses herself through large, monumental paintings, but she also expresses herself through other materials. She began experimenting with collages and video works at an early age, and is considered a pioneer in Norwegian video art.
Bratteli’s pictorial world In Bratteli’s pictorial world, it is her memories from childhood that largely characterise the topic. With a father who was in a concentration camp during the war and who later became prime minister of Norway, her childhood was marked by the war trauma of adults and the attention of the public. Marianne Bratteli became a serious child who mostly related to the adult world. In her art, there is little girl with a hairclip who is seen repeatedly. Maybe it’s Marianne herself we see in the pictures?
“I think many children carry more pain than many adults are aware of. Because children
appearance is so adorable and fresh, one does not think that it can carry heavy thoughts.”
– Marianne Bratteli
“Heartbeat” shows works borrowed from the National Museum, KODE, the Tangen collection, Trondheim Art Museum as well as a number of private collections. The exhibition also shows new works by Bratteli.
The exhibition has been created in collaboration with MUNCH, curated by Susanne Grina Lange (Telemark Art Museum) and Kari Brandtzæg (MUNCH)
Plan your visit
Bratteli works mainly in the fields of painting, graphics, installation and video. She has her education from the Norwegian School of Arts, Crafts and Design (1974-78) and the Norwegian Academy of Fine Arts (1978-82), including as a student of Ludvig Eikaas.
Her work has been incorporated into a number of central art collections and museums, but so far she has not had a major museum exhibition. With the exhibition “Heartbeat”, we seek to show the breadth of her multifaceted and interesting artistry.
Terje Bergstad, Hall 2
Marianne Bratteli’s grandfather was from Nissedal in Telemark, and in this sense there are also ties to Telemark in Marianne’s life. But what drew her to Telemark Art Museum was the artist Terje Bergstad. One of Marianne’s favourites. She is very interested in Terje Bergstad and his circle of motifs, especially the war motifs, which have clear connections to Bratteli’s own art.
Terje Bergstad (1938-2014) was a Norwegian painter and graphic artist. He lived in Bærum, but also had a home in Bondal in Telemark where he spent much of his time. Marianne Bratteli first contacted Telemark Art Museum in connection with our large collection of works by Terje Bergstad. The collection was donated to the museum by the Bergstad Foundation in 2013 and consists of about 1,700 works – mainly art on paper.
In parallel with Bratteli’s exhibition in Hall 1, we are showing a smaller exhibition with works by Terje Bergstad in Hall 2. The works have been selected in collaboration with Bratteli and will address motifs and themes common to the two artists.
