Bjarne Melgaard
Bjarne Melgaard (born in Sydney in 1967) is a Norwegian visual artist. He studied at art academies in Warsaw, Oslo, Maastricht and Amsterdam, and moved back to Oslo from New York in 2017.
Expression, text and space
Astrup Fearnley Museet describes an expressive practice in which painting, drawing, sculpture and installation form complex narratives. Strokes, splashes and text can fill the space with conflicting moods. It is useful to distinguish these artistic narratives from documented information about the artist's private life.
Munch as a reference
The 2015 exhibition Melgaard + Munch at Tøyen explored connections in brushwork, imagery and social criticism. MUNCH cites Untitled (Couple) from 1997 as a reworking of the figures in Munch's Kiss. This connection does not make the two artists' works identical.
Materials must match the specific work
The Astrup Fearnley Collection lists Untitled from 1998 as oil and flag on canvas, 200 × 200 cm. The material description thus includes more than paint. It should not be simplified into a general statement that all Melgaard's paintings are oil on canvas.
Another Untitled, from 2015, is credited to Bjarne Melgaard with Bob Recine. The museum records oil on canvas and mixed media with synthetic hair and resin, 241 × 231 × 8 cm. Contributors, materials and depth are important identification details.
Lillehammer Art Museum lists The Wave from 1994 as a drawing on paper. This early paper work must be distinguished from later reproductions or works with related titles. The museum record identifies one specific object, not an edition applying to every subject.
Exhibition history and recent activity
Astrup Fearnley Museet brought together works from several periods in an exhibition from November 2013 to February 2014. Such a museum presentation provides historical context, but does not mean that every work bearing the artist's name was exhibited there.
Keteleer Gallery listed Melgaard in the group exhibition Four to the Floor, from 17 October to 21 November 2026. The organiser placed the paintings within a discussion of rhythm, repetition and rupture. This is a specific exhibition context, not an exhaustive definition of his entire output.
Titles, editions and provenance
The title Untitled occurs on different works. Identification therefore requires dating, materials, dimensions, a photograph and any inventory or exhibition records. An entry sharing the same short title is insufficient to connect an item with a museum work.
For a sheet offered as a print, examine printing method, paper, signing, numbering, publisher and any proof designations. A printed signature may be part of a reproduction. The biography establishes no common edition size, and a handwritten signature alone is likewise not proof of authorship.
Document the reverse, labels, former owners and any certificates. For composite works, also describe loose parts, losses and earlier repairs. Match all documentation to the precise work under examination. An expressive line, familiar figure or name does not authenticate the object.
Read more about artist signatures, provenance and ownership history.
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Contact OBA about selling and assessment (Norwegian page).
Sources and further reading
- Store norske leksikon: Bjarne Melgaard
- Astrup Fearnley Museet: the artistic practice
- MUNCH: Melgaard + Munch, 2015
- Astrup Fearnley Museet: Untitled, 1998
- Astrup Fearnley Museet: Untitled, 2015
- Lillehammer Art Museum: The Wave
- Astrup Fearnley Museet: collection exhibition 2013
- Keteleer Gallery: Four to the Floor
