This major exhibition by Willibald Storn features paintings, graphics, photography and installations, celebrating the artists 90th birthday.
Willibald Storn – The victory of defeat
The victory of defeat
Willibald Storn (b. 1936) is a versatile and highly productive artist. The exhibition “The Victory of Defeat” is a major presentation of central themes in Storn’s artistic career. Sentral themes are solidarity, social engagement, and critique of the consumer society.
Growing up in Austria during and after World War II has shaped both the artist and his work. This is primarily expressed through solidarity with those who suffer—from acts of war, famine, and the refugee crisis. The genocide in Gaza occupies his mind with particular intensity. Since 2023, Storn has worked on a series dealing with the genocide and Israel’s ongoing military offensive in Palestine. For Storn, who was himself a child of war, it is the suffering of children that concerns him the most. A large part of the exhibition is dedicated to these powerful works. Several of the pieces are being shown for the first time.
Storn repeatedly uses freedom of expression and art as a platform to provoke, for instance by attacking consumer society. The exhibition features recent works such as the Oslo Suite and Plastic Fantastic, as well as older pieces.
The exhibition is curated by Susanne Grina Lange. “The Victory of Defeat” marks Willibald Storn’s 90th anniversary in 2026.
Art is a witness to what I have cared about.
Art must be a dialogue that invites someone in—to the work of visualizing a thought.Within that lies a hell of a lot of power. It is so damn important to make art!”
– Willibald Storn.
Willibald Storn (b. 1936)
Willibald Storn is an Austrian–Norwegian painter and printmaker who has lived and worked in Norway since 1956, working primarily with printmaking, painting, and installations. His colorful, lush, expressive, and imaginative art is inspired by Surrealism and by artists such as Marc Chagall and Pablo Picasso. In recent years, he has worked in an expressive style with references to Neo-Expressionism, street art, and artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Storn made his debut at the Autumn Exhibition in 1963 and held his first solo exhibition at Oslo Kunstforening in 1965. He has had numerous solo and group exhibitions across the country and is represented in several major public collections in Norway. He has also completed several public art commissions.
In 1969/1970, he founded the artist group GRAS together with Per Kleiva, Morten Krogh, and Anders Kjær. GRAS worked within Pop Art, characterized by a strong political commitment.
