Nordic noir: Works on paper from Edvard Munch to Mamma Andersson
British Museum, London
9 October 2025 – 22 March 2026
The Fallow Deer, 2016
Handprinted colour woodcut on rice paper
Reproduced by permission of the artist
© The Trustees of the British Museum
Källa, 2021
Marker pen, oil crayon and graphite
Reproduced by permission of the artist
© The Trustees of the British Museum
Don't look to the horizon, 2024
Watercolour and glacial ice
Courtesy of the artist and i8 Gallery, Reykjavik
© The Trustees of the British Museum
The British Museum presents around 150 works from 100 different artists in an exhibition celebrating graphic works on paper from the Nordic region.
Nordic noir: works on paper from Edvard Munch to Mamma Andersson is the culmination of a five-year programme dedicated to building the Museum's collection of post-war Nordic artwork.
Jennifer Ramkalawon, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Nordic Graphic Art said: 'This project was a five-year voyage of discovery. These countries have so much creativity to offer with contemporary artists exploring themes of nature, the environment, identity and heritage. The artists in the show are well-known in their home countries, but this exhibition aims to showcase the incredible array of talent from the Nordic lands to a wider UK and international audience – many of them are on display for the first time.'
Suopan (Lasso), c.1928-1934
Woodcut
© The Trustees of the British Museum
Fiskere, 1942
Colour woodcut
Reproduced by permission of the artist's estate
© The Trustees of the British Museum
Showcasing one of the best collections of Nordic art outside the region, the exhibition aims to provide a welcome and stimulating insight into the distinctive art originating there.
Although Scandinavia is sometimes viewed by outsiders as a homogenous entity, the exhibition highlights individual characteristics and complexities within the various Nordic countries, as well as exploring universal and overarching themes. It also questions the definition of Nordic art and what it means to be a Nordic artist through work by artists who have immigrated to and emigrated from the region.
The Old Fisherman, 1897
Woodcut on Japan paper
© The Trustees of the British Museum
One of the most well-known artists to emerge from Scandinavia is expressionist Edvard Munch. Two of Munch's woodcut prints are featured at the beginning of the exhibition. Following a chronological narrative, it explores how the graphic arts flourished and evolved after his death in 1944. Prints and drawings from 1945 to the present day highlight how the region's artists continue to develop Munch's creative legacy of emotional intensity and artistic inventiveness.
Soutaja, 1981
Colour etching
Reproduced by permission of the artist's estate
© The Trustees of the British Museum
Untitled, 2016
Monotype in green, yellow and black ink
Reproduced by permission of the artist's estate
© The Trustees of the British Museum
My Mother, 2019
Watercolour
Reproduced by permission of the artist
© The Trustees of the British Museum
Key themes throughout the exhibition are nature and the vital urgency to preserve the environment of the fjords, mountains and forests unique to the region. The artworks on display also delve into the worlds of Norse myth, inner struggles with mental health, post-war angst and the threat of the Cold War, feminism and the rights of the Indigenous Sámi people.
In the Air III, 2019
Graphite, mineral pigment, acrylic paint
Reproduced by permission of the artist
© The Trustees of the British Museum
Understanding the Impact of Architecture 12, 2020
Colour lithograph
Reproduced by permission of the artist
© The Trustees of the British Museum
Shuafat II, 2023
Watercolour
Reproduced by permission of the artist
© The Trustees of the British Museum
The landmark collecting project, supported by a substantial grant from charitable organisation AKO Foundation, resulted in the acquisition by the British Museum of almost 400 works by artists from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. It has added to the many Nordic prints purchased by the Museum in the 1990s.
As well as Edvard Munch and Mamma Andersson, featured artists include Olafur Eliasson, John Savio, Vanessa Baird, Yuichiro Sato, Fatima Moallim, John Kørner and many more.
Xerxes Mazda, Director of Collections said: 'It has been almost 30 years since the British Museum devoted a show to Nordic graphic art. Thanks to the generosity of AKO Foundation, we have been able to build one of the best collections of Nordic art outside the region, investing in and exploring how artists such as Mamma Andersson have developed the legacy of an artist like Edvard Munch. Nordic noir and the collecting strategy behind it showcases the British Museum's commitment to acquiring works for the nation, preserving the work of both up-and-coming and established artists for future generations.'
To coincide with the exhibition, a beautifully illustrated catalogue, Nordic noir: works on paper from Edvard Munch to Mamma Andersson, written by Jennifer Ramkalawon, was published by the British Museum Press in October 2025. Paperback, £35, ISBN 9780714136509
BRITISH MUSEUM, LONDON
