Photo above: Håkon Bleken, Hundestudie, oil on canvas, 2015
We are pleased to present the exhibition Slik vi husker deg – Håkon Bleken, opening on 15 January 2026 at 18:00.
The exhibition brings together works from across multiple phases of Bleken’s artistic production, with particular emphasis on the period of his collaboration with Galleri Brandstrup. A number of the exhibited works were retained by the artist and have therefore been only rarely accessible to the public. While some of these works have previously been presented in museum contexts, they have remained in Bleken’s private collection and have seldom, if ever, been shown within a gallery setting.
The exhibition coincides with the first anniversary of the artist’s passing and will be on view until 7 February 2026.
The exhibition offers a broad perspective on Bleken’s artistic practice, bringing together works from different periods of his career, with a particular emphasis on the years in which he worked closely with Galleri Brandstrup. The works in the exhibition span primarily from the 1990s to 2024. Several of the works on view were held back by the artist and have therefore rarely been available to the public. Although some have appeared previously in institutional exhibitions, they remained part of Bleken’s private collection and have largely been absent from gallery presentations.
Educated at the National Academy of Art in Oslo, Bleken was a central figure in Norwegian art for more than four decades. His position within the national art history is firmly established, and his influence on successive generations of artists and on the public understanding of contemporary art in Norway has been considerable.
The charcoal drawings Fragments of a Dictatorship from 1971 marked a decisive turning point in Bleken’s career and are widely regarded as his artistic breakthrough. In the decades that followed, his work was characterised by a strong ethical commitment, formal independence, and a sustained engagement with political and social questions. His career was accompanied by extensive critical recognition, major exhibitions, and numerous distinctions, while he continued to develop his practice with consistency and intensity.
Bleken’s body of work defies simple categorisation. Alongside painting, he worked extensively with charcoal, collage, stained glass, graphic techniques, and book illustration. Painting nevertheless remained the core of his practice. His paintings move between tightly composed, detailed structures and more reduced, abstract expressions. Landscapes and portraits recur as key motifs, articulated through rich colour relationships and a forceful, energetic painterly language. In later years, his work increasingly incorporated elements of modernist and cubist collage, often entering into dialogue with historical imagery and long-standing cultural traditions.
Bleken is frequently described as a literary painter. His work draws on concrete, local realities, addressing contemporary Norwegian society as well as subjects closely connected to his life in Trondheim. Narrative plays an important role in his practice, and his works often convey stories of power, vulnerability, resistance, and loss. Questions of human dignity and social responsibility remain persistent themes, lending his work a continued relevance. His art revisits post-war anxieties while simultaneously engaging with the concerns of the present. Throughout his career, Bleken demonstrated a remarkable ability to renew his artistic language, linking personal experience with broader political and social contexts. The gravity of his subject matter is often counterbalanced by an evident engagement with the act of painting itself, and over time his work became increasingly expressive, marked by assured and vigorous brushwork.
Since his debut in 1951, Bleken presented solo exhibitions at many of Norway’s leading galleries and museums, including the National Gallery, Trondheim Kunstmuseum, and Henie Onstad Art Centre. His works are held in major public and private collections, among them the National Gallery, Astrup Fearnley Museum, Trondheim Kunstmuseum, and Equinor. His art is also permanently installed in a number of prominent public spaces, including St. Olav Catholic Church in Trondheim, Nidaros Cathedral, Olavshallen, Statkraft, the Oslo Concert Hall, and Oslo Central Station. A documentary film focusing on Bleken’s life and work premiered at the Kosmorama Film Festival in Trondheim in 2009. He was awarded the Anders Jahre Cultural Prize in 2005, and in 2009 he was appointed Commander of the Order of St. Olav by the King of Norway.
GALLERI BRANDSTRUP
Galleri Brandstrup, founded by Kim Brandstrup and Marit Gillespie in 2000 at the historic Madserud Gård in Oslo, was a pioneer in relocating to Oslo's emerging gallery district, Tjuvholmen, in March 2010, where we continue to thrive. Our gallery is renowned for its representation of Nordic masters and influential figures in contemporary Nordic art. We proudly collaborate with some of today’s most innovative and globally recognized artists, including our exclusive representation of Marina Abramović and Joseph Kosuth in Scandinavia, reflecting our close ties with the Sean Kelly Gallery in New York.
Committed to showcasing artists with distinctive conceptual and visual expressions, we host monthly exhibitions year-round in our gallery space. We maintain strong relationships with Norwegian and Scandinavian museums and foundations, leading to numerous significant exhibitions. Notably, we organized the "Mark Quinn" exhibition in collaboration with White Cube Gallery, London, and Kistefos Museum, Norway, in 2011.
Our extensive museum collaborations include Marina Abramović's "Entering the Other Side" at Kistefos Museum (2014), Sverre Bjertnæs at Haugar Vestfold Kunstmuseum (2018), and Per Kleiva's memorial exhibition at Kunstnernes Hus (2018). Recent projects include Steinar Haga Kristensen at Trondheim Kunstmuseum (2021), Lars Ramberg at Bomuldsfabriken Kunsthall (2021), Apichaya Wanthiang at the Munch Museum (2022), Diana Al Hadid at Bomuldsfabriken Kunsthall (2023), Sverre Bjertnæs with Fredrik Værslev at Vestfossen Kunstlaboratorium (2024), and Steinar Haga Kristensen at Kunstnernes Hus (upcoming 2025).
In addition to our gallery exhibitions, we specialize in bringing contemporary art to both public and private spaces. Our focus lies in site-specific and thematically driven installations, often realized in collaboration with in-house or external artists. Our site-specific projects prioritize meticulous planning and consistent regulation throughout the process. These projects entail close cooperation with artists, clients, and, at times, architects, interior designers, and landscapers.
Among our memorable site-specific projects is Joseph Kosuth's "A Monument of Time" at Krona Kultur og Kunnskapssenter in Kongsberg, Norway. It stands as the largest commissioned contemporary art project in Norway, featuring 136 neon elements integrated into the walls as a tribute to the town's history. Another remarkable endeavor is Kjell Erik Killi Olsen's large-scale bronze sculpture "Woman Seeking the Wind" in Vilnius, Lithuania, and Fredrik Raddum's installation "The Sky is the Limit" at Skatt Øst for the Norwegian Ministry of Finance.
In 2014, Galleri Brandstrup, in collaboration with Eli Lilleng Ertvaag, established our sister gallery, BGE Contemporary Art Projects in Stavanger, Norway. For more information, please visit www.bgeart.com.
Tuesday - Thursday 12-5pm
Friday - Saturday 12-4pm
+47 22545454
galleri@brandstrup.no
Tjuvholmen allé 5, Oslo, Norway 0252