Ill. of Ramme Gaard hotel now being built, with Ramme Gallery of Fine Art and Local Museum, hidden under ground.

Transcription

1 1 Tuesday, 21 th February 2012 Ramme Gaard, Hvitsten Announcement Mr. Petter Olsen and his cultural centre, Ramme Gaard, offer the unique opportunity of giving Edvard Munch and the Christiania Bohemians their rightful place in Norway s cultural history. We hereby invite the official sector in the hope of a fruitful cooperation. Ill. of Ramme Gaard hotel now being built, with Ramme Gallery of Fine Art and Local Museum, hidden under ground. In connection with the 2013 Munch 150 th anniversary, we have started a dialogue with the Munch Museum and their curator, to create a thematic summer exhibition. The opening is planned for May/June next year at Ramme Gaard, Hvitsten, 40 km south of Oslo in Norway. Our idea is that future exhibitions also could be realized in a similar way. The Gallery is therefore not primarily a platform for Olsen s private art collection, as has been speculated in the media. It is, nevertheless, possible that parts of Olsen s collection could be included in this context. The Olsen family has both donated and lent Munch paintings to various museums and exhibitions, particularly abroad; long before Oslo established its own Munch Museum. Following the destruction by fire of Munch s home in Kragerø in 1939, and the city of Oslo s demolition of Munch s home in 1961 to make room for a parking lot, the only remnant of Edvard Munch s several homes, is the small fishing lodge in Åsgårdstrand and his house at Nedre Ramme, Hvitsten. In spite of the fact that Munch lived and worked at Ramme for several years, the place remains practically unknown to the public, due to its somewhat remote location and the house being private ownership.

2 2 L: Munch purchased the house at Nedre Ramme in Hvitsten in He kept this property until his death in R: Sketch of Nedre Ramme with horse and dog in the orchard by Edvard Munch in a letter to his German friend Gustav Schiefler, At Ramme, Munch found the peace of mind he was looking for, a possibility also for to the current day visitor. The surroundings at Ramme have remained more or less unchanged over the last century. There are plans to restore Munch s home at Nedre Ramme, to rebuild his studio Kullboden on the pier and possibly also a section of his outdoor work shelter behind the main house. There are also plans to re-introduce farm animals and Munch s original orchard, making the venue well worth a visit. Visitors can experience original art at the place where some of Norway s most monumental paintings were created. They can view the home of Edvard Munch and even spend a night in his room. This is a rare kind of experience, not to be found many places in the world! «Bølgene» ( The Waves ) painting by Edvard Munch, 1931.

3 3 As Munch remains Norway s only artist of international importance, and probably the best known Norwegian abroad, managing his heritage is a great responsibility. We would therefore like to invite the public sector, the Oslo Munch Museum and the National Museum, to run the gallery. With Ramme Gallery of Fine Art and Local Museum a platform is being established to promote golden era art from the Hvitsten area and make it available to national and international visitors. There is also a plan for traditional passenger ship service between Hvitsten and Åsgårdstrand, and Munch s two remaining homes. A Munch-triangle could be established with Oslo as the starting point for an attractive daytrip. In the summer, when the number of visitors is at its highest, exhibitions in Hvitsten might reduce the need for expensive high-security gallery space in Oslo. «Badende Mann» ( Bathing man ) painting by Edvard Munch, We hereby invite the official sector to find the best way to expose the rich cultural heritage of Hvitsten today and for future generations. This is a gift to Norway and the international art world, and a rare opportunity for private/public cooperation. Edvard Munch 150 th anniversary in 2013 will be a trial run for Norway s national cultural politics.

4 4 Background For decades shipping heir and philanthropist Mr. Petter Olsen has developed an ecological and cultural centre at Ramme Gaard in Hvitsten, a place where he has deep family ties. The intention has been local and regional promotion of culture, including inspiration towards a sustainable society. Hvitsten, with its interesting history, is beautifully located by the Oslo fjord. With the finalization of a local zoning plan, our ambition is to preserve this valuable area for future generations, and to make it more readily accessible to the public. Ramme with its many attractions and activities is already open to the public. People visit the organic farm daily to enjoy the country side, see the animals and architecture, and have a tasty meal at the café. In the summer season there is both a classical Shakespeare festival and classic concerts in the garden and a rock festival which attracts more than a thousand spectators. «Sommernatt ved Christianiafjorden» ( A summernight by the fjord ) pastell by Oda Krohg, about 1886.

5 5 «Rammebråthen» painting by Frits Thaulow. Bokken Lasson in the foreground. The Christiania Bohemians were a cultural and political movement in the 1880s with its center in the nearby capital of Oslo. The group consisted of approximately twenty men and a few women, many of whom spent the summers at Rammebråthen, near to Ramme Gaard. The philosopher and writer Hans Jæger was the ideological leader of the group. Other famous bohemians and friends of Munch were Jensen-Hjell and Jappe Nilsen. The Lasson sisters, Bokken and Oda, Alexandra and Soffi, were married to Christian Krogh, Frits Thaulow and Holger Drachmann respectively, all painters and bohemians. The Christiania Bohemians were part of the Naturalistic movement, focusing on emotions, honesty and truth, both in painting and literature. Nude swimming and consumption of Absinthe was quit common... Hans Jæger diligently describes it all in his writings. One of the bohemian creeds was to write one s life. Edvard Munch painted his! Christian Krohg, Edvard Munchs mentor, on the Ramme beach. In the background Munch s studio Kullboden.

6 6 Local passenger steamers in Hvitsten, There is now a plan to open a line between Munch s two homes: Åsgårdstrand and Nedre Ramme in Hvitsten. Following a longer period abroad, with important visits to Berlin, amongst other at the infamous drinking hole Zum schwartzen Ferkel, Edvard Munch was admitted to a clinic in Copenhagen for detoxification. By 1909 he had sufficiently recuperated and was finally ready to face a homeland that had not always appreciated his work. Munch rented a house in Kragerø on the southern coast, where he immediately started working on his sketches and full draft versions for the decorations of the new University Auditorium. Already the following year, in 1910, Munch purchased the house at Nedre Ramme in Hvitsten. He was to keep this property until his death in January Edvard Munch wrote about his life and work at Ramme: I left Kragerø and bought Nedre Ramme at Hvitsten, because I needed space for my outdoor studio to complete the University Auditorium paintings This is where I found the motives for the Alma Mater. This is where I painted the smaller Auditorium decorations that were exhibited in Berlin and Oslo. And this is where I have, until recently, painted the studies for an improved version of «Forskerne» ( The Scientists ) with the children s group to the left in the picture.

7 7 «Forskerne» ( The Scientist ) monumental painting (5 m x 11 m) of Ramme Beach by Edvard Munch, about The fact that Munch bought Nedre Ramme before he was granted the University assignment, or indeed had won the competition for the Auditorium decorations, shows to which degree he was dedicated to the project. In the woods behind his house a large outdoor atelier was erected in which his sizable canvases, were mounted and the composition of the various images for the University Auditorium was created. The work on the monumental The Sun and The History images were almost completed in Kragerø, whereas the landscapes for The Scientists / Alma Mater were found on the Ramme beach. I will in the future keep to myself. I am in such wonderful peace between woodlands and ocean at Nedre Ramme.

8 8 Edvard Munch and «Solen» ( The Sun ) in the outdoor studio at Nedre Ramme, Petter Olsen, owner of Ramme Gaard, Hvitsten. As the owner of Ramme Gaard and Edvard Munch s home at Nedre Ramme, Petter Olsen feels responsible for preserving the rich cultural heritage of Hvitsten. Edvard Munch is not only of local importance, but an important part of world heritage. Our vision for Ramme is to create a cultural centre with the main focus on the local history of Hvitsten. Ramme Gallery of Fine Art Gallery and Local Museum opens possibilities for showing world class art in an interesting local context, making it available for the interested public at large. Stefan Docksjö Managing director, Ramme Gaard s.d@rammegaard.no