Photo: Bill Hayward
Jan Groth (b. 1938, Stavanger - d. 2022, Oslo) lived and worked in Oslo and Dagali, Norway. Groth was a leading artist of his generation in Scandinavia, with numerous exhibitions in museums and institutions throughout the world. Groth has, through his long artistic practice, exclusively and continuously explored the relationship between line and picture plane. First and foremost in drawings executed with crayon on paper, but also in monumental tapestries made in collaboration with Benedikte Groth in Copenhagen. Since the late 1980s he has also brought the line into three-dimensional space with bronze sculptures spanning the intimate scale of the drawings, to the monumentality of public works. Groth's works literally weave together the immediate with the gradual; the drawing on paper extracted in an instance is through a highly labour-intensive process transcribed into the structure of the tapestry. His artistic idiom can be described as restrained expressionism, with a profound sensibility wherein the line's seemingly seismographic recordings appear to visualize nuances and energies registered from within.
1956-59 Trained at various art schools in Denmark and with artists Knud Nielsen and Erling Frederiksen
1960-61 Affiliated with the tapestry studio “de Uil”, Amsterdam
1961-2006 Weaves tapestries in collaboration with Benedikte Groth (1933-2015), Copenhagen
1961- Begins working with drawings
1982-1994 Visiting professor, School of Visual Arts, New York
1989- Begins working with sculpture
1995- Jan Groth Archive established in Stavanger Kunstmuseum
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
1971 Jan Groth, Gobelin til Amtsrådhus ´s-Hertogenbosch, Holland
Det danske kunstindustrimuseum, Copenhagen
1972 Jan Groth, Recent tapestries and drawings, Betty Parsons Gallery, New York.
Traveled to:
Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, CT
Museum of Art, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh
and
1973 The Art Institute of Chicago
Jan Groth, Tegninger Fyns Stifs Kunstmuseum, Odense
Drawings by Jan Groth, Busch-Reisinger Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge MA
Jan Groth, Recent drawings, Betty Parsons Gallery, New York
1974 Jan Groth, Gobeliner og tegninger, Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Høvikodden
Traveled to:
Bergen Kunstforening, Bergen
and
1975 Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk
1976 Jan Groth, Autour de la Ligne, Musée d´Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris
Jan Groth, Recent tapestries, Betty Parsons Gallery, New York
1978 Jan Groth, Tegninger, Galleri CC, Aarhus
Jan Groth, Thematic drawings, Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Høvikodden
Traveled to:
1979 Liljevalchs Konsthall, Stockholm
Aarhus Kunstmuseum, Aarhus
Staatliche Kunsthalle, Baden Baden
Städtlische Galerie im Lenbachaus, Munich
Jan Groth, Tegninger, Stavanger Kunstforening, Stavanger
Jan Groth, Gobelänger och teckningar, Nordiskt Konstcentrum, Sveaborg, Helsinki
1980 Jan Groth, Thematic drawings, Ordrupgaardsamlingen, Copenhagen
Jan Groth, Tapestries and Thematic drawings, Museum of Modern Art, Oxford
Jan Groth, Recent works, Betty Parsons Gallery, New York
1981 Matrix 64 (Drawings), Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, CT
Jan Groth, Gobeliner og tegninger gjennom 20 år, Nordjyllands Kunstmuseum, Aalborg
Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, CT
1983 Jan Groth – New Works, tapestries and drawings, Marian Goodman Gallery, New York
1985 25 tegninger, Galleri Riis, Oslo
1986 Jan Groth, Teckningar 1975-85, Moderna Museet, Stockholm
Jan Groth, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
Jan Groth, Marian Goodman Gallery, New York
1987 Jan Groth, Galleri Riis, Trondheim
1988 Jan Groth, Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo
Traveled to:
National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto
Jan Groth, Nantenshi Gallery, Tokyo
Jan Groth, Gobeliner 1982-88, Randers Kunstmuseum, Randers
1989 Jan Groth, Drawings, Diane Brown Gallery, New York
Jan Groth, Drawings 1975-85, La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art, La Jolla
1990 Jan Groth, Skulpturer, Museet for samtidskunst, Oslo
1991 Jan Groth, Nantenshi Gallery, Tokyo
Jan Groth, Sculptures, Diane Brown Gallery, New York
1992 Jan Groth, Nye arbeider, Galleri Riis, Oslo
Jan Groth, Fundacion San Telmo, Buenos Aires
1993 Jan Groth, Tegnet, Trondhjems Kunstforening, Trondheim
1995 Jan Groth, 25 drawings, Rogaland Kunstmuseum, Stavanger
1996 Jan Groth, Gobeliner, tegninger og skulpturer, Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum, Tromsø
1997 Jan Groth, Tapestries, drawings, sculptures, Amos Anderson Konstmuseum, Helsinki
Jan Groth, Nantenshi Gallery, Tokyo
1998 Jan Groth, Alfabet, nye tegninger, Galleri Riis, Oslo
2001 Jan Groth, Sign, Hara Museum ARC, Japan
2001 Jan Groth, Tegn, Museet for samtidskunst, Oslo
2002 Jan Groth, Tegn, Nordjyllands Kunstmuseum, Aalborg
2006 Jan Groth, New works, Galleri Riis, Oslo
2007 Jan Groth, Kontraster, Galleri Svalbard, Longyearbyen
2009 Jan Groth, Nye arbeider og prosjekter, Drammens Museum, Drammen
2012 Jan Groth, Selected works 1990-2012, Galleri Riis, Stockholm
2013 Jan Groth, Skulptur, gobelin, tegninger, Galleri Ismene, Trondheim
2015 Jan Groth, In between - liberating the line, Galleri Riis, Stockholm
2015 Jan Groth, Sign – Drawing, Tapestry, Sculpture, Galleri Riis at Chart Art Fair, Copenhagen
2017 Jan Groth, The Festival Exhibition 2017, Bergen Kunsthall, Bergen
2017 Jan Groth, The Bundle, Wall Drawings and Other Recent Works, Galleri Riis, Oslo
2018 Linear Tapestries, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, Minnesota
2019 Signs and Figures, Galleri Riis, Oslo
2020 Glogerfestival Exhibition, Kongsberg Kunstforening, Kongsberg, Norway
2021 Jan Groth / Juan Andrés Milanes Benito, The summer exhibition 2021, Sandefjord Kunstforening, Sandefjord
2022 Forløp og volum / Course and Volume, Stavanger Kunstmuseum, Stavanger, Norway
2022 Jan Groth In Memoriam / Drawings, Sculptures, Tapestry and Wall Drawing, Galleri Riis, Oslo
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
1958 Charlottenborgs Foraarsudstilling, Copenhagen
1964 Galerie Delta, Rotterdam
Danske Snedkermestre, Copenhagen
1969 4. Biennale de Lausanne, Museé Cantonal des Beaux-Arts, Lausanne
1968 Form 68, Det danske kunstindustrimuseum, Copenhagen
1969 Jan Groth og Sonja Ferlov Mancoba, Holst Halvorsens Kunsthandel, Oslo
1970 Tapisseries XV-XX siecle, Maison de la Culture, Grenoble
Norsk vevkunst I det 20. Århundre, Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Høvikodden
1971 Tapisseries Norvegiennes de l´art noveau a nos jours,
Musée des Gobelins, Mobilier National, Paris
1973 Recent Acquisitions, Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, CT
Recent acquisitions 1972-73, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
1974 Old-New Drawings, Betty Parsons Gallery, New York
1975 Tapisseries Nouvelles, Musée des Arts Decoratifs, Palais de Louvre, Paris
1976 Recent Acquisitions, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
1978 20th Century Drawings, The Art Institute of Chicago
1979 Tegninger, new acquistions 1969-79, Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Høvikodden
1980 Recent Acquisitions, Tate Gallery, London
1982 Norwegische Bildweberei und Email von Jahrhundert bis zur gegenwart Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg
1984 Norge-USA-Norge, Jan Groth - Kjell Bjørgengen, Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Høvikodden
1985 Exhibition Dialogue on Contemporary Art in Europe, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon
1988 Tres Artistas Noruegos Contemporaneo, Centro Cultural
Arte Contemporaneo, Mexico City
1990 Jan Groth and Stein Rønning, Galleri Riis, Oslo
1991 Erling Nebys Samling, Nordjyllands Kunstmuseum, Aalborg
1992 Holdepunkter, Museet for Samtidskunst, Oslo
1993-94 Focus on Fibre Art, The Art Institute of Chicago
1995 Matrix is 20, Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, CT
1997 79/97, Visual Arts Gallery, New York
2000 Jan Groth, Stein Rønning, Heidi Skjerve, Kjell Bjørgeengen, Sørlandets Kunstmuseum, Kristiansand
Jan Groth Tegninger, Tone Vigeland Skulpturer, Nordjyllands Kunstmuseum, Aalborg
2003 Dialogo/Dialog, Museu do Arte Moderna, Rio de Janeiro
2006 Transforming Chronolgies: An Atlas of Drawings, Museum of Modern Art, New York
2008 Traces and Spaces – Jan Groth´s influences and contemporaries
Rogaland Kunstmuseum, Stavanger and Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Høvikodden, 2009
2012 Prism. Drawings from 1990 to 2002, Nasjonalmuseet for kunst arkitektur og design, Oslo
2013 Jan Groth + Tone Vigeland, Vigeland-museet, Oslo
2014 Take Form, Galleri Riis, Stockholm
2016 He is left handed and walks with a cane (Jan Groth, Matias Faldbakken, Fredrik Værslev), Galleri Riis, Stockholm
2018 Light Lines: The Art of Jan Groth, Inger Johanne Grytting, and Thomas Pihl, Scandinavia House, New York
2019 Ser du tegninga?, Sørlandets Kunstmuseum, Kristiansand
2021 Paper Planes, STANDARD (OSLO), Oslo
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
The Museum of Modern Art, New York
The Art Institute of Chicago
Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati
Museum of Art, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh
Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
Bergen Museum of Arts and Science, Paramus, N.J.
Waldsworth Atheneum, Hartford CT
Busch-Reisinger Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge MA
Museum of Modern Art, Oxford
The Tate Gallery, London
Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk
Aros, Aarhus Kunstmuseum, Aarhus
Fyns Stift Kunstmuseum, Odense
Sønderjyllands Kunstmuseum, Tønder
Kunsten, Nordjyllands Kunstmuseum, Aalborg
Randers Kunstmuseum, Randers
Musée des Beaux Arts, Montreal
Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto
Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Høvikodden
Drammens Museum, Drammen
Nordenfjeldske Kunstindustrimuseum, Trondheim
Nasjonalmuseet for kunst, arkitektur og design, Oslo
Norsk Kulturråd, Norway
Stavanger Kunstmuseum, Stavanger
Oslo Kommunes Kunstsamlinger, Oslo
Sørlandets Kunstmuseum, Kristiansand
Trondheim Kunstmuseum, Trondheim
Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum, Tromsø
KODE Bergen Kunstmuseum, Bergen
Moderna Museet, Stockholm
Magasin III – Museum & Foundation for Contemporary Art, Stockholm
Skissernas Museum, Arkiv för Dekorativ Konst, Lund
Malmö Museum, Malmö
Musée des Gobelins, Mobilier National, Paris
Fondation Maeght, Saint Paul de Vence
Musée National d´Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris
Graphische Sammlung Albertina, Wien
Museum am Ostwall, Dortmund
Kunstmuseum Luzern, Luzern
Kunstmuseum Bern, Bern
Amos Andersons Konstmuseum, Helsinki
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
The Museum of Modern Art, Toyama
Centro Cultural Arte Contemporaneo, Mexico City
COMMISSIONS
1968-69 Tapestry for Nationale Nederlanden, The Hague
1970-71 Tapestry for Provinciehuis Noord-Brabant, ´s-Hertogenbosch
1973-74 Tapestry for Radio- and TV building, Danmarks Radio, Aarhus
1975 Tapestry for Ministere des Affaires Culturelles, Paris
1976-77 Tapestries for København Amts Sygehus, Herlev
1980-81 Tapestry for stairway, Coll. Mr & Mrs R.A. Kidder, Washington D.C.
1981 Tapestry for Skådalen School of the Deaf, Oslo
1984-85 Tapestry for lobby, Norwegian Contractors, Bærum
1984-85 Main stage-curtain embroidery Det Norske Teatret, Oslo
1987 Tapestry for Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas
1988-89 Tapestry for Dai-Tokyo Kasai, Tokyo
2009 Outdoor bronze sculpture, Stavanger Kunstmuseum, Stavanger
2010 Walldrawing for Cappelen Damm, Oslo
AWARDS
1991 The Prince Eugen Medal, Sweden
1993 The Medal of St.Olav, Norway
2002 Anders Jahre Culture Prize, Norway
2002 Commander of The Royal Norwegian Order of St.Olav