Inger Johanne Grytting
Inger Johanne Grytting is a Norwegian visual artist, born in Svolvær in 1949. She moved to New York in 1972.
From figurative work to the drawn line
In New York, Grytting studied at City College. Jan Groth mentored her and introduced her to the city's art scene. She also worked with sculptor Chaim Gross. Westwood Gallery describes her as Norwegian-American, referring to the connection between her Norwegian background and long artistic career in the United States.
The 2015 museum exhibition Extensions traced her development from figurative oil paintings to abstract drawings and paintings. Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum highlighted line, the white paper surface and an idiom between Minimalism and Expressionism.
In Tre tiår i tegning in 2025, Tegnerforbundet showed works from 1994 to 2024. Its presentation described soft graphite and porous paper, with small interruptions when the pencil point breaks. These irregularities become traces of execution and should be understood through the working process, rather than solely as variations within a geometric pattern.
Titles, materials and documented works
In its presentation of Life Lines, Westwood Gallery explains that T denotes tegning (drawing) and M denotes maleri (painting). The number indicates the work's sequence within that year. Letters and numbers form a title system, not an edition number. Later line paintings continue the repeated marks of the drawings.
Kode records T_11_2019 and T_13_2019 as graphite pencil on paper, each 567 x 763 mm. They were acquired in 2022 and have inventory numbers Kode.00193 and Kode.00194. These records provide concrete evidence of technique, dimensions and title conventions.
The Erling Neby Collection records no. 23-2006 as pencil on paper, dated 2006, measuring 65 x 61 cm, reference EN202. Its stated provenance is directly from the artist. This describes an original drawing with its own history, rather than a numbered print edition.
The artist's CV documents Extensions at Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum in 2015, New Drawings at the Vigeland Museum in 2017 and the 2025 Tegnerforbundet exhibition. This demonstrates presentations in both museums and venues dedicated to drawing.
Original drawing, reproduction and provenance
Describe Grytting's work according to the individual medium. An original graphite drawing on paper, an oil painting and a printed reproduction are different types of object. A title's numbers alone do not establish that a sheet is an editioned print. If a print bears numbering such as 3/50, investigate its printing method, publisher and any signature separately; the T or M title system does not confirm these details.
The examined sources establish no universal signature or fixed location for it. Record inscriptions verbatim and examine them alongside the sheet's dimensions, title, date and documented ownership. A gallery label should be linked to the same sheet through measurements or photographs. A signature reproduced within a printed image does not establish that the individual example was signed by hand.
Condition and surface description
Document the entire sheet and close views of its surface. Describe observed rubbing, stains, tears and other damage precisely. Compare earlier photographs where it is unclear whether an irregularity belongs to the original execution. Record framing, visible sheet dimensions and concealed edges separately.
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Sources
- Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum: Extensions, 2015
- Westwood Gallery NYC: Inger Johanne Grytting
- Tegnerforbundet: Tre tiår i tegning, 2025
- Westwood Gallery NYC: Life Lines, 2022 to 2023
- Kode: recorded acquisitions of Grytting's works
- Erling Neby Collection: no. 23-2006
- The artist's website: CV
- Westwood Gallery NYC: artist presentation, 2022
