The exhibition has been titled At arm’s length , originally a military term used to measure the distance between two soldiers who together form part of a squad. In our time, the term has come to be associated with cultural politics, with the implication that politicians should not get involved in the artistic content but keep an appropriate distance. At a reasonable distance can also be said to apply to how the Nordic artists have come to relate to the European art tradition during the 20th century, in other words with a certain distance.
About the exhibition
– Our idea with the selection we made is to show the common mentality that exists among the Nordic artists, even if the countries differ aesthetically. As well as how they acted, were influenced and socialized outside in the European metropolises, and not in their home countries. The large scope of the Tangen collection means that we were able to find works that highlight these aspects and I am very grateful that we were given that opportunity, says Bo Nilsson, museum director at Artipelag.
The collection, which includes roughly 5,000 works, will be placed permanently at Sørlandets Kunstmuseum in Kristiansand, a former grain silo that has now been converted into an art museum in Kristiansand’s harbor area. The move-in is planned to take place in 2024. Artipelag has been given the opportunity to show a selection of the collection, which includes around 40 artists who are represented by around 160 works of art. Among the exhibited works, we can admire greats such as Isaac Grünewald, Sigrid Hjertén, GAN, Peter Weiss, Tove Jansson, Asger Jorn, Anna-Eva Bergman, LG Nordström, Öyvind Fahlström, Kjartan Slettemark, Ola Billgren, Silja Rantanen and Elina Brotherus before the collection gets a permanent place in Kristiansand.
About AKO Art Foundation
Nicolai Tangen (born 1966 in Kristiansand) is a Norwegian asset manager and art collector who has the world’s largest collection of Nordic art. In 2013, he founded the AKO Foundation, which supports charitable causes that improve education, promote the arts or mitigate climate problems. AKO Kunststiftelse was established in 2016 and Nicolai then transferred his collection to the Foundation.
The foundation continues to collect, purchase and make 20th century modernist art available to the public.
