9. Escape to Norway
In 1929, Kurt Schwitters began taking regular trips to Norway with his family. He was inspired by the country’s harsh landscape and by the light in northern Europe. While there, he once again channelled his efforts into painting landscapes and portraits. In 1937, he emigrated to Norway, where he was able to make a living from such commissions. Schwitters also frequently turned to portraits or landscape paintings as a form of currency to pay for his living costs or procure arts materials.
For a long time, art historical research ignored these works or considered insignificant. Yet this appraisal overlooks the existential themes that are hidden behind the seemingly idyllic appearance of these images. What’s more, these artworks also tell a story of migration, displacement, and isolation that is characteristic of the global avant-garde. They also demonstrate Schwitters’ technical skills as a figurative painter and his exceptional ability to adapt quickly to new circumstances and find ways to continue his art.
Background: In 1936, Schwitters’s son Ernst fled to Norway, fearing that he would be arrested due to his involvement in a socialist resistance group and the looming threat of an exit ban from Germany. Kurt Schwitters joined him in 1937. In light of the political situation, he also decided to remain in Norway, while his wife Helma opted to stay behind in Hanover to look after their family and properties. Kurt and Ernst Schwitters initially settled in Lysaker near Oslo. However, Kurt failed to forge any real connection with the local art scene – there was barely any avant-garde movement there compared to in Germany. As time went by, he came to view his exile as a kind of artistic isolation. In an effort to keep in touch with his network, he would send letters and collages to people, particularly in Switzerland, where he maintained close ties with the graphic designer Jan Tschichold, the art historian couple Siegfried and Carola Gideon-Welcker, and the artist Hans Arp.