Norway Art presents a year of Norwegian artists

Exciting news from the world of fine art

Photo: Lori Ann Reinhall
Editor-in-chief Lori Ann Reinhall first met Mary Jo Thorsheim when she visited her gallery at Norway House in Minneapolis.

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The Norwegian American

If Norway is calling to you this season, Dr. Mary Jo Thorsheim of Norway Art® has been busy at work putting together a holiday gift item that you won’t want to pass up with a special collection of stories about 13 outstanding artists—from Hans Dahl to Elling Reitan—as featured in her column in The Norwegian American from October 2019 through October 2020.

Photo: Lori Ann Reinhall
Antonia Jacobsen’s oil painting of the S/S Hekla, “Steaming toward America,” is one of the crown jewels at Norway Art. The Hekla sailed from Kristiania to New York on voyages of 14 to 16 days during the 1880-90s.

Thorsheim, founder and owner of the Norway Art, has been importing fine Norwegian art to the United States for 40 years and is a leading authority on Scandinavian art in the United States. From her gallery at Norway House in Minneapolis, she sells and ships unique art pieces across a variety of genres to the entire world, with clients in both North America and Norway.

In 2019, Thorsheim was asked to contribute a monthly column to The Norwegian American by Editor-in-chief Lori Ann Reinhall to enhance readers’ knowledge of Norwegian history and culture through an insightful visual presentation of key works of art. These columns include both famous and lesser known, albeit important, artists from the treasure chest of Norwegian art masterpieces.

Photo: Mary Jo Thorsheim
The Norway Art gallery at Norway House in Minneapolis offers the best of Norwegian fine art, spanning a variety of genres and epochs.

“I wanted our readers to see Norway through the eyes of those who have captured it best,” said Reinhall. “I had visited the Norway Art gallery in Minneapolis and seen many of the paintings myself. Each painting is an awakening through new eyes, as you see Norway from the perspective of the artist. It’s much different than the realism of a photograph; you also experience the interpretation or heightening of reality from the artist’s point of view.”

Photo courtesy of Mary Jo Thorsheim
Mary Jo has produced a new art book just in time for Christmas shoppers.

Reinhall and Thorsheim have enjoyed long talks about many of the paintings. Both of them have been delighted to share their excitement about Norwegian art with the readers of The Norwegian American. The articles are always accompanied by an array of images, which may now be seen in the higher quality format of a book.

“Seeing the articles together in chronological order is somehow even more enlightening,” said Reinhall, “and you never get tired of looking at the photos of the paintings.”

Published by Park Press Minneapolis, this new presentation portfolio in a beautiful blue binding makes the perfect present or will serve as an interesting conversation piece on your coffee table. The price is only $25, sales tax included, with free shipping to 48 U.S. states. For more information or to place an order, email Mary Jo at mjtmng@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared in the Nov. 27, 2020, issue of The Norwegian American. To subscribe, visit SUBSCRIBE or call us at (206) 784-4617.