Art of the Nordic Nations: Modernism, Freedom, & Identity 1870-1950

Author:   Serge Fauchereau

Format: Hardcover | 384 pages 

Dimensions: 8 x 1.7 x 10.3 inches

Publication date : November 11, 2025

A lavishly illustrated volume showcasing the Nordic modern artists whose work continues to influence and inspire today.

Modern art from the Nordic countries―­Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland―­tends to be represented by a few famous artists, and an aesthetic known for combining originality and continuity of tradition. Although influenced by the wider international art movements of the time, modern Nordic artists were also independently creative, developing styles unique to the region.

This extensively illustrated survey, from impressionism to the mid-twentieth century, reveals a new art history of the region, encompassing a surprisingly broad range of artists both familiar and unknown: Anders Zorn and Hilma af Klimt, Vilhelm Hammershøi and Franciska Clausen, Edvard Munch and Harriet Backer, Akseli Gallen-­Kallela and Fanny Churberg, Finnur Jónsson and Öyvind Fahlström. Providing a detailed overview of the greatest artworks of the period, this book also places the work in the context of each Nordic country as well as in the broader art world of the time. It also examines the significant role of women artists in the story of modern Nordic art, chronicling their significant artistic legacy as well as their key contribution to the women’s rights movement in Scandinavian society. The result is a comprehensive account of modern Nordic art in one impressive volume that is sure to be a definitive account on the subject.

300 color illustrations