Norwegian fine crafts in Paris

Norway is the featured country at Révélations, an international biennale being held for the first time this year, and Norwegian fine crafts are thus heavily represented.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit opened the Norwegian exhibition, which is curated by Marianne Zamecznik. Entitled “Revealing Thoughts”, the exhibition displays the work of 14 Norwegian artists and designers under the glass dome of the Grand Palais.

The Crown Princess gave her opening remarks in French. She pointed out that the fair is a unique opportunity to promote Norwegian fine crafts, expressing the hope that the exhibition would pave the way for further collaborative projects in the future.

Wider exposure for Norwegian art and design

Révélations seeks to bring fine crafts and craftsmanship to a wide audience. The fair will be held every two years, and spans a broad scope from renowned haute couture houses such as Louis Vuitton to designers working in glass, ceramics, textiles and jewellery.

Norwegian Crafts sees the exhibition as an indication that efforts to promote the craft professions have paid off. Exhibitions in international arenas are vital to enhancing the visibility of Norwegian design and fine crafts.  

Vernissage at the Grand Palais

A vernissage was held yesterday evening at the Grand Palais, where the fair was formally opened by French Minister of Foreign Affairs Laurent Fabius.

The Crown Princess congratulated the French federation of craft professionals, Ateliers d’Art de France, on creating a spectacular and inspiring exhibition and thanked Norwegian Crafts for their outstanding contribution. She wished all of the participating artists the best of success.

“Je tiens à féliciter Ateliers d'Art de France pour avoir créé cette exposition si merveilleuse et inspirante, ainsi que Norwegian Crafts pour sa contribution exceptionnelle. Je souhaite le plus grand succès à tous les artistes représentés ici.”

The 14 Norwegian artists displaying their work include Heidi Bjørgan, Liv Blåvarp, Andreas Engesvik, Katrine Køster Holst, Kari Håkonsen, Irene Nordli, Inger Johanne Rasmussen, Anders Smebye, Anna Talbot, Åse-Marit Thorbjørnsrud and Reinhold Ziegler.

More talented Norwegian artists in Paris

Crown Princess Mette-Marit visited two other exhibitions in Paris earlier in the day yesterday.

At Les Docks she visited the exhibition entitled “On Time”, featuring Norwegian designers such as Sverre Uhnger, Marius Myking, Joachim W. Rasmussen, Marianne Andersen, Maria Bjørlykke, Siv Lier, Erlend Bleken, Kristine Bjaadal, Marte Frøystad, Runa Klock and Ingrid Aspen. 

The Crown Princess also had the opportunity to visit the Musée des Arts décoratifs at the Louvre, where Trude Ugelstad of Norwegian Crafts gave her a guided tour of the exhibition entitled “La mécanique des dessous, une histoire indiscrète de la silhouette”.