Leonard Rickhard
Leonard Rickhard (1945 to 2024) was a Norwegian painter and draughtsman, born in Tvedestrand. He trained in Oslo and held his first solo exhibition at Kunstnerforbundet in 1974. Arendal was his home and working location for much of his life. He died on 7 January 2024. (Kunstnerforbundet; SNL; Astrup Fearnley Museet)
A figurative practice
From the 1970s, Rickhard developed a stylised figurative language of landscapes, interiors and still lifes. Several early upright formats later gave way to broad, composite compositions. Drawings served both as preparatory studies and independent works. (SNL)
Bird cabinets, model-making tables, night painters, birch woods and abandoned barracks recur in varied forms. Astrup Fearnley Museet’s 2024 exhibition Mellom konstruksjon og sammenbrudd traced these motifs from the mid-1970s to the final paintings. Repetition allows comparison of composition, memories and psychological or political undertones. (Astrup Fearnley Museet)
Documented works and materials
Aftensol, dated 1973 to 1974 in the National Museum’s catalogue, is oil on canvas, 69 x 49.5 cm. It provides a concrete reference for the early paintings and their more contained format. The museum records its purchase in 1974. (National Museum)
Trett modellflybygger I (1985) is oil on canvas, listed at 212 x 182 x 17 cm. The National Museum describes a shallow interior with model-aircraft fragments and a fragmented human figure. Model-making also carries references to the Second World War. Versions differ in colour and objects. (National Museum)
Frames matter in parts of the oeuvre. The museum’s obituary describes Rickhard’s concern with paintings’ materiality, dimensions, sculptural frames and the exhibition space. Presenting paintings together belonged to his artistic work. A substantial or distinctive frame should therefore be documented with the picture. (Astrup Fearnley Museet)
Originals, reproductions and documentation
Compare a work with the artist’s catalogues and exhibition history. Astrup Fearnley Museet’s monograph announcement following the 2024 exhibition describes reproductions of paintings and drawings, alongside sketches, notes and photographs. Such published images are documentation; a loose illustration leaf must be recorded as the printed object it is. (Astrup Fearnley Museet)
Title, any version number, date, technique and dimensions should accompany the object. Photograph the front, frame, back and inscriptions. Where motifs recur, link provenance to the specific painting or drawing through receipts, gallery labels, earlier photographs or catalogue records.
Examine paint and canvas for flaking, tears, dents, overpainting and previous treatment. Document frame damage and altered joints too. For drawings, paper colour, stains, folds, tears and mounting traces matter. Information about a signature or numbered edition should come from the object or reliable documentation.
See also
Read more about artist signatures, provenance and ownership history.
