Odd Nerdrum’s controversial stageplay about Immanuel Kant to be performed for the first time in Norway
20. August, 2020
– Kant was a pioneer for the takeover of feelings in our culture, says Odd Nerdrum, surrounded in his studio by the theatre group which is about to stage The Last Days of Immanuel Kant in Norway for the first time, almost twenty years after the play was published in book form (Immanuel Kants siste dager, 2003).
The play was scheduled to be performed at the National Theatre in Oslo that very same year, but according to Kristofer Hivju, the publication sparked controversy due to Nerdrum’s unacademic portrayal of Kant, and in consequence, the performance was canceled.
A year later, Hivju (as van Meegeren) and Jan Haarstad (as Kant) produced a radio drama based on the play. The stage play was performed for the first time in Malmö, Sweden in 2007.
In 2019, Odd Nerdrum’s daughter, Aftur, decided to take the task into her own hands and stage the performance of The Last Days of Immanuel Kant for the first time in Norway.
– I grew up with this play, she says. – I listened to it over and over and thought to myself: this is fantastic! It doesn’t bore me for a second. Why has this play not been performed before?
Jonathan Chedeville and Aftur Nerdrum during a rehearsal as Adolf Lenke and Kant’s maid.
The play premieres 28th August at TBS Gallery in Oslo in cooperation with Sivilisasjonen, starring Per Christian Ellefsen as Immanuel Kant, Öde Nerdrum as Han van Meegeren, Fredrik Hermansen as Lampe, Jonathan Chedeville as Adolf Lenke, Aftur Nerdrum as the maid, and Elias Peña Corrall as Principal Knott.
Just like Ebenezer Scrooge, the national romantic philosopher Immanuel Kant is confronted with the sins of the past when Han Van Meegeren’s ghost shows up in his house in the middle of the night.
Suddenly, Kant finds himself in a situation where he is forced to take a stand on his mystical ideas about art and his forbidden, homoerotic longings. An inner conflict between the bourgeois, christian ethics and primal, human impulses are recurring themes throughout the play.
“The Last Days of Immanuel Kant” challenges the academic, elite view of the German thinker’s philosophy, whose legacy is still disputed: Was he a champion of reason or the all-destroyer?
Kristofer Hivju, Per Christian Ellefsen and Odd Nerdrum. Photo: Bork S. Nerdrum
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An exhibition entitled “Håkon Bleken’s Chosen Ones” will open at Soli Brug in Norway 22. April and includes works by artists, as well as classical painters and sculptors hand-picked by the Norwegian modernist Håkon Bleken. Nerdrum’s painting entitled “Isola” will be on display 22. April through 29. May. Opening hours at the exhibition:Monday – Sunday from 1 pm to 6 pm. For more information about the event:https://www.soli-brug.no/
A Nerdrum Museum in the Making — Invitation to a Press Conference
Odd Nerdrum, Norway’s most prominent painter from the last century, lacks a permanent exhibition space for his works. His wife, Turid Spildo, and his son, Öde S. Nerdrum, intend to do something about this. Together, they plan to convert an old industrial building on Agnes, north of the city of Stavern, into a gallery with a collection of his finest paintings. An invitation from Sea Park Stavern in 2021 catalysed the idea. “The Sea Park” housing developers were looking for someone who could bring a cultural citadel to the area. For a long time, Turid and Öde have been looking for someone to take the initiative to establish a museum, but they finally decided to take on the job themselves. From Odd Nerdrum’s exhibition “You See We Are Blind” at Fine Art Gallery in Oslo in 2022. Photo: Bork S. Nerdrum – My father’s legacy is unique, not only as a painter but as a teacher as well. I definitely feel a responsibility to preserve and convey what has inspired a generation of painters to return to nature, says Öde. Turid and Öde do not have experience in museum management. However, they believe that the love and respect they have for his paintings is a more decisive factor to their success. – The most important consideration is to be aware of what constitutes a good museum experience. I believe the two of us to be amongst the most seasoned museum-goers.Turid agrees and points to how important the overall atmosphere and environment contributes to the paintings. – A museum must have a café! “Pipehuset” at Agnes outside of Stavern. Photo: Sea Park Stavern Invitation to the press conference Tron Inge Nilsen, who is the managing director of Sea Park Stavern, has been in close dialogue with Turid and Öde in recent months. They recently landed an agreement for the takeover of the old industrial building. Tron is excited that something special is finally happening in the resort town. – We are very proud that Nerdrum has chosen the Sea Park as the location for this museum establishment. This will be an exciting attraction of national importance that will give new life to the remains of the old venerable brick buildings of the Agnes match factory. Key handover with Cecilie Sanden, Turid Spildo og Öde S. Nerdrum. Photo: Sea Park Stavern Turid Spildo and Öde Nerdrum are arranging a press conference that will take place on Thursday 30. March at 1 pm at Pipehuset (Agnes torg 18) to present the project in the premises where it will be built. Everyone is welcome and invited to the press conference.
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Gratulerer så mye til Elisabeth Johansen på Nerdrum.com med førsteplass i konkurransen! Vedkommende er den heldige vinner av litografiet “Solen vender tilbake”, samt førsteutgaven av magasinet Sivilisasjonen og en signert utgave av praktboken “Nerdrum” (2022). Annen- og tredjeplass gikk til @ektehasani og @herskapeligmuleaasen på instagram. Begge vinnere av både bok og magasin. Tusen takk til alle som har deltatt. Det var stort engasjement i år og vi har klippet og klippet og klippet lodd i hele desember!Hvem vet, kanskje vi sees igjen til neste år? https://www.youtube.com/embed/dyXFY6XrSbU
