Knud Bergslien, Edvard Munch and Bjarne Melgaard are some big names who will appear in the auction hall at Rolfsbuktveien 4 in Fornebu in Norway on 29 March, as it is time for Blomqvist to hold their classic auction Winter Highlights. The catalog also features what may be the most significant work of art sold in Norway this year: Harald Sohlberg's painting Fra Værvågen, aften (From Værvågen, evening) which has been in the same family's possession since it was acquired in 1922.
"It is with great pleasure that we present this beautiful painting by Harald Sohlberg, which has so far been unknown," says Birgitte Schiøth, senior specialist at Blomqvist.
Harald Sohlberg (1869-1935) is counted together with Edvard Munch and Nikolai Astrup as one of Norway's leading modernist landscape painters. Sohlberg's work is characterized by a sense of mystery and a use of colors that were described by his contemporaries as unusual and original. Norwegian art students like Sohlberg wanted to find their own expression rather than be influenced by their teachers, which led the artist to mix symbolism and realism in his work.
In 1922, Harald Sohlberg used the painting From Værvågen, evening as payment for binoculars and a magnifying glass. On Wednesday, April 12, he wrote in his diary about how he and the optician agreed on an exchange worth 600 Norwegian kroner. Since then, the colorful and melancholic work of art has been owned by the optician's family. Today, the painting is estimated at a value between 6-7 million Norwegian kroner (£518,000-604,000).
The artist has created three versions of the motif. A version of approximately the same size was exhibited at Harald Sohlberg's memorial exhibition at Kunstnernes Hus in Oslo in the autumn of 1936 and is privately owned. Another larger version entitled Fra Værvågen, The fisherman's house, also dated 1921 and privately owned, was included in the exhibition Infinite Landscapes at the National Museum in Olso 2018-2019. Similar in all three versions is the color of the water, reflection of the sky, and the natural setting.
The artwork included in Blomqvist's classic auction has many of the qualities that characterize Solhberg's art: the tree in the foreground that creates perspective and depth, the fiery evening sky and the water that is colored yellow by the light from the sky. Nature creates a magical and meditative space, free from humans, which allows the viewer to partake in the scene. The painting is made with thin transparent layers that are typical of Sohlberg's painting technique.
Michael Falch, the owner of From Værvågen, evening, told a Norwegian newspaper that "it is a very strong motive, it is a legacy that has followed me since childhood and has always caught my attention." He explained that it was the right time to sell the work: "My wife and I have four children, but we only have one Sohlberg painting."
Knut Forsberg, art expert and CEO of Blomqvist, comments on the sale: “We know that there are many collectors in the market who are looking for the right acquisition. Given all the attention that Sohlberg has received in recent years in the form of exhibitions at home and abroad, and not least the record prices at international auctions, we believe that this is a good time to sell.”
Most people who buy Sohlberg's work are Norwegian, but the artist has gained a great deal of international interest in recent years. In December 2021, a new auction record was set for Harald Sohlberg when the painting The Old Captain's House, Winter Afternoon was sold at Sotheby's for £2.7 million.
