Airports around the world are home to an array of spectacular artworks. These might showcase local culture and heritage, stop travellers in their tracks as they stare in wonder, or offer moments of calm and relaxation in a busy airport environment. The Moodie Davitt Report presents a regular new column exploring the role of art at the airport.
Edvard Munch, best known for The Scream, is one of Norway's foremost artists. Visitors to the excellent Munch Museum in Oslo will gain a fascinating insight into his life and artworks. For the first time, an original work from the collection is being displayed outside the museum. The venue chosen for this honour? Oslo Airport.
“We wish to give travellers an unusual and surprising experience, an art break in an otherwise busy day of travelling,” says Munch Museum Director Stein Olav Henrichsen. Airport operator Avinor and the Munch Museum have entered into a ten-year agreement to display original works at Oslo Airport.
The works form part of Oslo Airport's extensive art programme. There is a specially designed showcase in the new international terminal, accessible to both Norwegian and international travellers.
“We are very proud to be able to show travellers from all over the world one of Norway's greatest artists,” says Airport Director Øyvind Hasaas. “We have many travellers who either have Oslo as their destination or who are just passing through. Now, they will have the opportunity to see works by one of Norway's finest, namely Edvard Munch.”
Oslo City Council Leader Raymond Johansen unveiled the first Munch artwork in April: the painting Head to Head, which features the artist himself. The stone used for the lithograph Separation is also on display.
“Edvard Munch gave Oslo an immense gift when he bequeathed his art to us, and it's important to us to share it with as many people as possible,” says Johansen. “At the same time, Munch's works are a part of the DNA of Oslo, something unique and exciting about our city. Treating the travellers at Oslo's airport to a faceful of Munch is a great way of welcoming them to our city.”
The Moodie Davitt e-Zine | Issue 242 | 14 June 2018