At Arm’s Length

Hundred years of Nordic art

At Arm’s Length was a group exhibition of art that consisted of works from the Tangen collection, which is owned and managed by the Norwegian AKO Kunststiftelse. The collection comprises Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, and Finnish art and crafts from these countries. Within the field of visual art, the focal points are painting, sculpture, drawing, graphics, and photography, spanning the 1900s into present day.

Verk på vägg av Olle Bærtling i utställningen På armslängds avstånd.

Verk på vägg av Brotherus i utställningen På armslängds avstånd.

About the exhibition

The exhibition got the title At Arm’s Length, originally a military term indicating the distance between two soldiers forming a squad. In our time, the term has come to be associated with cultural politics, suggesting that politicians should not interfere in artistic content but keep a reasonable distance.

– Our idea with the selection is to show the common mentality that existed among the Nordic artists, even if the countries aesthetically differ. Also, how they operated, were influenced, and socialized in the European metropolises and not in their home countries. The large span of the collection enabled us to find works that highlight these aspects, and I am very grateful that we have been given that opportunity, says Bo Nilsson, Museum Director, Artipelag.

The collection comprising some 5 000 works, will have its permanent residence at Sørlandets Kunstmuseum in Kristiansand, in a former grain silo that now has been transformed into an art museum in the harbour area of Kristiansand. The move is planned to take place during 2024. Artipelag was given the opportunity to show a selection of the collection comprising 40 artists representing around 150 artworks, which was the only viewing before the collection was moved to its permanent place in Kristiansand.

Contributing Artists

Gösta Adrian-Nilsson, Else Alfelt, Reidar Aulie, Anna-Eva Bergman, Ejler Bille, Ola Billgren, Vilhelm Bjerke-Petersen, Elina Brotherus, Olle Bærtling, Otto G. Carlsund, Franciska Clausen, Leander Engström, Sven X:et Erixson, Öyvind Fahlström, Sonja Ferlov Mancoba, Wilhelm Freddie, Isaac Grünewald, Sigrid Hjertén, C.O. Hultén, Egill Jacobsen, Robert Jacobsen, Tove Jansson, Einar Jolin, Asger Jorn, Per Kirkeby, Greta Knutson, Per Krohg, LG Lundberg, Endre Nemes, L-G Nordström, Axel Olson, Erik Olson, Carl-Henning Pedersen, Silja Rantanen, Olaf Rude, Gösta Sandels, Kjartan Slettemark, Henrik Sørensen, Esaias Thorén, Elsa Thoresen, Nell Walden, Charlotte Wankel, Peter Weiss.