Context and background

The art world has become increasingly globalized through the efforts of the digital humanities, and the visual arts of the Nordic region are gaining more recognition. Bolstered by focused scholarship, this engagement could lead to the inscription of Nordic artists into the “canon” of art history.

Historically, linguistic and geographical distance have been major obstacles to a fuller understanding of the arts of the Nordic region. Artists whose works are in demand internationally are typically those who have been widely exhibited, such as Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Vilhelm Hammershøi, Carl Larsson, Helene Schjerfbeck and Anders Zorn. While international exhibitions have introduced these artists to a wider public, catalogue raisonnés can further this effort, bringing together an entire oeuvre in a format that can be viewed online or as a printed format.

The publication of the catalogue raisonné of Edvard Munch’s paintings in 2008 was a major step in this direction. A collaboration between Gerd Woll, the Faurschou Foundation, Kaare Berntsen and the Munchmuseet, this publication took five years five years to produce, with the advantage that most of the material was held at Oslo’s Munchmuseet. However, most projects require a long-term research effort that can last decades.

Over the last century, some efforts were made to produce catalogue raisonnés for Nordic artists and in recent years there has been a renewed interest in launching new projects. Catalogue raisonnés have been published or are being prepared for the following artists: Asger Jorn, published in 1980 with a supplement released in 2006; Hilma af Klint (the first three volumes in 2021, and four remaining volumes in 2022); Poul Gernes (in progress); Per Kirkeby (2004), the final volume of which is now in nearing completion; Olle Baertling (forthcoming); Akseli Gallen-Kallela (in progress) and Torsten Andersson, for which research is now underway. Althhough new catalogue raisonné projects are undertaken in the region, it is not known how many are in progress, their level of completion, and what support they need.

The International Foundation for Art Research and Catalogue Raisonné Scholars Association have federated information on research and resources in the US. In 2019, the London-based International Catalogue Raisonné Association was established to provide such support in Europe. Nordic Art Intelligence aspires to be that hub in the Nordic region, initiating or coordinating efforts.