Book launch

We invite you to the launch of the book Jan Groth - Course and Volume.

The book's editor and main author, Vibece Salthe, will present the book in a conversation with director for gallery Riis, Espen Ryvarden and the museum's director, Hanne Beate Ueland.

Last summer, Stavanger Art Museum hosted the exhibition Jan Groth - Course and Volume. Several monumental tapestries hung side by side with slender sculptures leaning against the walls. The drawings in the exhibition showcased the full range of Groth's artistic expression, from delicate and whispering to more distinct and pronounced. A separate room displayed four monumental drawings directly drawn on the walls. Jan Groth's (1938–2022) artistic career can rightfully be described as unique. Throughout his long-standing career, he devoted all his attention to the cornerstone of art: the line. For what else is the original origin of art if not that? The line is the precondition of drawing, and Groth examined it in detail. What appears as a swift stroke is the result of meticulous work carried out at a slow pace. Its nuances of pressure, colour scaling, and curves are painstakingly brought forth through weaving, drawing, and sculpture modeling.

The book developed in connection with the exhibition Course and Volume has become a significant knowledge base for understanding Groth's artistic career. It features articles by Karin Hellandsjø, Vibece Salthe, as well as a conversation about Groth's artistic career with artists Ask Bjørlo and Kiyoshi Yamamoto. The exhibition will be of special value because it largely showcases the artist's own perspective on his work.

The event will take place in the museum's foyer, and refreshments will be for sale during the event.