Knut Rose
Knut Rose (1936 to 2002) was a Norwegian painter, draughtsman, printmaker and illustrator, born in Strinda near Trondheim. People and their surroundings are central to his pictures.
From study to experiment
He studied with Roar Wold at Kunstskolen in Trondheim from 1957 to 1959, then with Aage Storstein and Reidar Aulie at Statens Kunstakademi from 1959 to 1961.
In the 1960s, Rose explored abstraction, collage and influences from Pop Art. Colour planes and pasted elements were organised within a deliberate composition. These experiments led towards figures and spaces where living and technical forms can merge.
Around 1970, figuration became clearer. Encapsulated figures express unease and uncertainty. In the 1980s and 1990s, recognisable animals and landscapes, as well as humour, became more prominent.
Three documented museum works
Kleiva’s Cake is tentatively dated 1966 in Nasjonalmuseet’s catalogue and described as oil and collage on canvas, 81.5 × 100.5 cm. The detailed technique list also places a question mark beside acrylic. This uncertainty should be preserved when discussing the work.
Arrangement of 1974 is recorded as acrylic and oil on canvas, 100 × 81 cm. Both types of paint thus occur in the same documented painting; its material description should not be reduced to just one.
Untitled of 1971, inventory number MS-00869-1988, is catalogued as a drawing in acrylic on paper, 33.7 × 23.7 cm. The title alone does not identify the work, since Rose made several works without a specific title.
Lithography and teaching
Kunst på Arbeidsplassen documents 15 lithographs illustrating Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts for the French publisher Edouard Weiss. The pictured sheets are listed with the year 1988 and dimensions of 73 × 53 cm. This is the number of works in the presentation, rather than documentation of the edition size.
Rose was professor at Statens Kunstakademi from 1973 to 1983 and also served as its rector.
Original work, prints and reproduction
A painting on canvas, a painted work on paper and a lithograph require different descriptions. An image printed in a book or as a poster must also be distinguished from a fine art print. Similar subjects or a printed signature do not make a reproduction an original work signed by hand.
For a print, examine any numbering, proof designation, printer, publisher, sheet dimensions and image dimensions. The denominator alone cannot establish how many variants or proof impressions exist.
Provenance and condition
Document the front, back, signatures, labels and previous framing. Keep securely documented ownership history separate from oral assumptions. For collage, assess loose elements and adhesive; for works on paper, damp and fading matter. A biography or similar signature does not authenticate a specific item.
Read more about lithography, modernism, artist signatures, provenance and ownership history.
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