Opened Nordic graphic art exhibition

The award bearing the Queen’s name has already garnered widespread attention, thanks in part to the talented artists who were nominated for the award in 2014.

The exhibition entitled Nutida nordisk grafik (“Contemporary Nordic graphic art”) displays works by all 14 of the artists nominated for the Queen Sonja Print Award in 2014, including the winner of this year’s award, Danish conceptual artist Svend-Allan Sørensen. The winner from 2012, the Finnish artist Tiina Kivinen, is represented, and the works of the art foundation’s founders – Kjell Nupen, Ørnulf Opdahl and Queen Sonja – are on display as well.   

“My dream came true when I began working with artists Kjell Nupen and Ørnulf Opdahl and master printer Ole Larsen a few years ago. You can see the outcome of our initial efforts in the room adjacent to this one,” said Queen Sonja in her opening remarks.

The exhibition will be open to the public from 27 September 2014 to 17 January 2015.

Now an international award

Funds from the sale of the print portfolio “Three Journeys. Three Landscapes” provided the financial basis and the initial boost for establishment of the foundation and the award. In her remarks, Queen Sonja emphasised the foundation’s decision to raise the level of aspiration for the award: It is now an international award known as the Queen Sonja Print Award.

The aim is to promote graphic art and raise it to the level it deserves among artistic genres. The award will expand its impact by seeking out nominees from around the world, making it, to our knowledge, the largest graphic art award in the world today.

Nominated in 2014

The artists nominated for the award in 2014 were Mikael Kihlman, Svend-Allan Sørensen, Vappu Johansson, Adam Saks, Annu Vertanen, Minako Masui, Elina Sipilä, Hugleikur Dagsson, Cathrine Dahl, Ørjan Aas, Valgerdur Hauksdottir, Ane Mette Hol, Tuula Lehtinen and Daniel Milan.