Bjørn Ransve is one of Norway`s most renowned living artists. On January 29th 2022, Her Majesty Queen Sonja opened the Ransve exhibition “State of the Art” at the Haugar Art Museum in Tønsberg. The exhibition consists of the artist’s graphic works over six decades. The works of art, which span two floors, constitute a retrospective presentation of Ransve’s diverse graphic production from the 1960s to the present day.
Bjørn Ransve has distinguished himself as a contemporary artist who surprises his audience time and time again by changing artistic expression between the exhibitions. Queen Sonja was given a tour of the exhibition by the artist himself, Bjørn Ransve.
During the opening, the Queen said: “Your art stands as a pillar through an entire generation of Norwegian visual art. And you have been an inspiration to countless young artists in our country. We all have good reason to thank you for that. As you know, I have a special heart for graphics. This art form that offers so many endless possibilities. And which by virtue of its accessibility has been a door opener for many young people into the world of art. The graphics are democratic and make it possible for more people to acquire their own original works of art. Your production in this diverse art form is just impressive”.
Queen Sonja then declared the exhibition open by cutting the red ribbon.
Bjørn Ransve is a graduate of the Norwegian School of Crafts and Design and the Norwegian Academy of Fine Arts and is known for his skills in putting distinctive character on a large number of different motifs.
“State of the Art” is the most comprehensive presentation of Bjørn Ransve’s graphic works that has been shown so far.
