Her Majesty Queen Sonja is to visit France in September. Her Majesty Queen Sonja will be present during the opening of the exhibition “Forces de la Nature” at the National Ceramics Museum in Sèvres on 23 September 2018. The display is a tribute to Norwegian creativity in modern ceramics and wallpaper design.
Exceptional in scale, “Forces of Nature” presents no less than 65 works dating from the 2000s to the present day, created by three internationally renowned Norwegian artists: Kari Dyrdal, Torbjørn Kvasbø and Marit Tingleff. Certain works have been imagined especially for the exhibition, with installations and large-scale creations filling the museum’s temporary exhibition spaces.
HM Queen Sonja of Norway at the official opening of the new art gallery “Olivier Debré” at the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Tours, France, with French President François Hollande. Photo: MARIANNE HAGEN, DET KONGELIGE HOFF / THE ROYAL COURT.
The “Forces of Nature” exhibition at Sèvres focuses on the wide-ranging vision of the three artists at once distinct and complementary worlds, within a scenography that compares and contrasts their works. Their respective artistic styles present a metamorphic vision of the spectacular Norwegian landscapes that surround them. Each artist searches out and explores, in his or her own way, the very foundations of their Norwegian spirit and culture.
Last time the Queen was on an official visit to France was in March of last year when she, together with President Hollande, opened the new art gallery “Olivier Debré” at the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Tours.
The Queen working on one of her art pieces. Photo: Rolf M. Aagaard / Det kongelige hoff.
Queen Sonja is very interested in art, and she has always been. In 2016 the Queen opened a brand new arts centre in the Norwegian town of Trondheim. The Queen is a competent artist herself. She has created a large number of art objects and cooperated with numerous great artists, including Kjell Nupen. Her Majesty has, for many years, handed out “The Queen Sonja Print Award” which is awarded every two years. Until 2014, this prize was exclusively intended for artists from the Nordic nations, but in 2014, it was made into an international award. That same year the Queen established a brand new award “The Kjell Nupen Memorial Grant” in memory of her good friend, Kjell Nupen.
Royal Central will keep you updated on the Queen’s visit to France in September.
