Arnold Böcklin, "Self-Portrait with Death Playing the Fiddle", 1872, Photo: Andres Kilger; © Alte Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

OSLO - This exhibition presents art from the period 1875 to 1925 alongside works from Europe of the Middle Ages and Northern Europe during the renaissance. For many artists, the power of the Gothic aesthetic to arouse deep emotions was highly inspiring. Faith and doubt, love and sexuality, identity and social roles are just some of the themes addressed in the exhibition.

At the heart of the exhibition are artists such as Käthe Kollwitz, Edvard Munch, George Minne, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Max Beckmann, and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. Their work is presented in dialogue with notable forerunners, including Hans Holbein the Younger, Albrecht Dürer, and Lucas Cranach the Elder. “Gothic Modern” is the first international exhibition to explore this juxtaposition. Here you will encounter a broad spectrum of art forms, ranging from prints and paintings to drawings and sculpture. 

The Gothic is often associated with elements of darkness and mysticism, the frightening and the inexplicable. It also embraces a sense of otherness, a culture in opposition to the prevalent. The exhibition is divided into seven chapters: Journeys to the Gothic, Pilgrims of art, Encounters with death, Community and traditions, Gothic variations, Love and attraction, From darkness to light.

​​​​​​28 February–15 June 2025

Marianne Stokes, "Death and the Maiden", c. 1908 © Musée d’Orsay Paris. GrandPalaisRmn (musée d'Orsay) / Hervé Lewandowski

Käthe Kollwitz, “Death and woman”, 1910. Photo: Nasjonalmuseet / Andreas Harvik

Lucas Cranach the Elder, "St. Sebastian", 1543. Photo: Nasjonalmuseet / Børre Høstland

Vincent van Gogh, "Head of a Skeleton with Burning Cigarette", 1886 © Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)

Edvard Munch, “Vampire”, 1893 © The Gothenborg Museum of Art

Michael Wolgemut, "Dance of Death" from the Nuremberg Chronicle, 1493. Photo: Ernst Bjerke

Lucas van Leyden, “Young man with a scull”, 1519. Photo: Nasjonalmuseet

Hugo Simberg, “Dance on the Quay”, 1899 © Finnish National Gallery. Photo: Aleks Talve

Hugo Simberg, "Wounded Angel",1893. Photo: Hannu Aaltonen/Finnish National Gallery; © Finnish National Gallery/Ateneum

Gustave Van de Woestyne, Bad Sower, 1908.  Photo: © Phoebus Foundation

Theodor Kittelsen, “She covers the whole country”, 1904. Photo: Nasjonalmuseet / Ina Wesenberg

Akseli Gallen-Kallela, "Lemminkäinens mother", 1897 © Antell Collections, Finnish National Gallery Photo: Hannu Pakarinen