Art comes home. The National Museum in 2021

"The first works of art have already arrived at the new National Museum in what will be a major relocation process, but not all the works will move in immediately. Over the next few months, several of them will be touring around the country. We have called this year's programme Art Comes Home. Soon you can experience art from the National Museum's collection in the north and south, in the mountains, in churches, at train stations, under the sea, and behind prison walls", says Karin Hindsbo, the National Museum's director.

Bridal procession through the country

In May and June, Tidemand and Gude's Brudeferd i Hardanger (Bridal Procession on the Hardangerfjord) goes on a tour of Norway. Each stop will offer the opportunity of a unique intimate encounter with one of Norway's most famous works of art. The painting will visit all the counties in the country and will, among other things, be exhibited in a nursing home, a school, a refugee reception centre, a shipyard and a prison.

Read more about the bridal procession through the country

Around Norway with the National Museum

Throughout the summer and autumn, we are sending a number of the collection's main works to places where they have a local affiliation, either through being created there, through the motif or through the artist's ties to the place. Each of Norway's eleven counties will receive a visit from at least one artwork. Maybe you can have a close encounter with a major work from the National Museum's collection in your home town or your holiday destination this summer? These will be unique opportunities to experience highlights of Norwegian art history at unexpected exhibition venues before they move into their new home in the National Museum.

The first work to go on tour is one of the highlights of Norwegian national romanticism, Johan Christian Dahl's Fra Stalheim (1842), which will be shown at the Stalheim Hotel near Voss at the end of June.

In addition to sending works of art on tour, the National Museum is collaborating with several exhibition venues on a number of exhibitions:

• An audience with art. The National Museum in the Queen Sonja Art Stable presents a sample of older and modern art and design from the collection presented in the new National Museum. The exhibition will be staged in the Queen Sonja Art Stable in Oslo and is the result of close collaboration between Her Majesty Queen Sonja, The Royal Collections and the National Museum. The exhibition opens on 26 May.
• Rites of passage. The National Museum at Kunstnernes Hus shows works from the National Museum's collection with the main emphasis on contemporary art. The exhibition at Kunstnernes Hus in Oslo examines "passages", both as a motif and as a symbol of transformation, transcendence and movement. The exhibition opens on 26 May.
• Summer adventure. The National Museum at Blaafarveværket will be the main exhibition at Blaafarveværket in Åmot in Modum in the summer of 2021. The exhibition shows art from the 19th century and follows Norwegian artists on their travels in Norway and abroad. The exhibition opens on 8 May.
• In the autumn, the National Museum and the Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology in Oslo will collaborate on an exhibition where the museums' collections complement each other, and together will reach new audiences. The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology will also show the National Museum's touring exhibition Gerhard Munthe. Incredible Interiors that opens 28 May.

"The National Museum greatly appreciates the excellent cooperation we have experienced at these exhibition venues. We look forward to showing important works from our collection to the public while we work on preparing the new museum. We hope that the public takes the opportunity to see highlights from our collection in new places", says Hindsbo.

The National Museum invites you to take a guided tour of the new museum while we work on installing the exhibitions and get everything ready for the opening in 2022. Join a walk through selected areas of what will be the Nordic region's largest art museum and peek into some of the rooms that will house the new collection presentation, with art, design and architecture from antiquity to the present. Experience the Light Hall and the museum's roof terrace. We look forward to showing you around!

The tours will take place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Registration will open a week before. Sign up in the Facebook event (in norwegian) to be notified when registration begins.

In May, the world's most important architectural exhibition opens in Venice, and this year the National Museum is hosting the Nordic Pavilion. The museum is collaborating with the Norwegian architectural firm Helen & Hard, which is creating a full-scale cohousing community inside the pavilion.

Read more about the Venice Biennale of Architecture 2021