Large exhibition of Nordic art from the turn of the century at Kunstmuseum Düsseldorf, The Hayward Gallery in London, le Musée du Petit palais in Paris and the National Gallery in Oslo. The exhibition was originally intended to be held at the National Gallery in Copenhagen but was moved to Oslo due to a strike. The exhibition picks up from where the exhibitions of Nordic art from the 1880s in Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen and Helsinki in 1985 and 86 had ended. This time Iceland was also represented with one artist, Thórarinn B. Thorláksson. Most of the artist had also been included in the previous exhibition and it was thus possible to follow the lines from the realism of the 1880s towards the more neo-romantic styles of the 1890s. While the 1880s had been a time where Nordic artists gathered in Paris, in the 90s most of them return to their respective home countries and the art thus takes on a more national character. And while the 80s had been a time of opposition and revolt against the academies and other conservative institutions in the art world the 90s is a time when the same painters largely constitute a part of the establishment themselves.

 

Harriet Backer was represented with three paintings with Christening in Tanum Church from 1892 being one of few paintings included in both exhibitions making it a connection between the two.