Bjarne Melgaard has been described as one of Norway's most important artists. He started out in the mid 1990ʼs with a neo expressionistic style of sculpture, installation, painting and drawing, often containing text. Early in his career Melgaard created controversial installations referencing subversive subcultures such as S&M and heavy metal music, discussing, investigating and pushing the boundaries of societal acceptance. Through organized chaos regarding composition and content, Melgaardʼs art deals with the dark side of humanity, such as self-destruction, deviant sexuality and odd religious beliefs.

Melgaard has had more than forty-five solo exhibitions including shows at Astrup Fearnley Museum in Oslo; Kunstmuseum Bergen; MARTa Herford, Herford; and Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam.

His work has been seen in several group shows at venues such as MIT List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; Moderna Museet, Stockholm; and S.M.A.K., Ghent. In 2011, Melgaard represented Norway at 54th Biennale Di Venezia and in 2013 he participated at the 12th Biennale de Lyon. In 2014, Melgaard participated in The Whitney Biennial.

Bjarne Melgaard’s work is owned by leading museums and art collections including, among others, MoMA, New York; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; and Moderna Museet, Stockholm.

BaBjarne Melgaard is represented by the following galleries;
click through to discover more of his work.

Galerie Guido W. Baudach, Berlin

Galerie Krinzinger, Vienna

Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris / Salzburg

Rod Bianco, Oslo

Galerie Forsblom, Helsinki

Lars Bohman Gallery, Stockholm

Gavin Brown’s Enterprise, New York