Exhibition: Nikolai Astrup: Painting Norway

Dulwich Picture Gallery presents the radically innovative works of Norwegian artist Nikolai Astrup (1880 - 1928) for the painter and printmaker's first ever major London exhibition - and indeed the world's, outside of Norway.

One of the most renowned Norwegian artists, Astrup's work transforms the rugged Norwegian landscape into a mythical, living entity. Exploring the luscious, colourful paintings and radical innovation in printmaking that defined the Norwegian artist's career, the exhibition will bring over 90 oil paintings and prints, including works from private collections never exhibited before, to London.

Astrup sought a national 'visual language' that evoked the traditions and folklore of his homeland. Best known for his luminous paintings of Midsummer Eve bonfires, Astrup’s landscapes evoke the atmosphere and changing seasons of his home district of Jølster. Places important to Astrup - the old parsonage where he grew up, his beautiful farmstead at Sandalstrand (named 'Astruptunet' after him), and the lake Jølstravatnet were to become the focus and inspiration of a unique and extraordinary body of work.