Kandinsky. Into the Unknown

The colour studies, concentric circle paintings and busy abstract canvases made by Wassily Kandinsky from the 1910s onwards are some of the most immediately recognisable works of 20th-century art. The Russian’s early work, however, is much less familiar. The Nasjonalmuseet in Oslo looks at the start of his career, exhibiting pieces mostly loaned from the Centre Pompidou, including sinister prints inspired by fairy tales and Slavic myths, works with equestrian motifs and colourful canvases that exhibit traces of what would become an inimitable abstract style (3 May–18 August). The show locates the roots of Kandinsky’s artistic sensibility in 1896, the year he saw Monet’s Haystacks in Moscow and a production of Wagner’s opera Lohengrin – two cultural experiences that left a deep impression on him.

Find out more from the Nasjonalmuseet’s website.

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Farewell (1903), Wassily Kandinsky. Centre Pompidou, Paris. Photo: Centre Pompidou/MNAM-CCI; © Centre Pompidou, Paris/MNAM-CCI/RMN-Grand Palais

Schawm (1903), Wassily Kandinsky. Centre Pompidou, Paris. Photo: © Centre Pompidou, Paris/MNAM-CCI/RMN-Grand Palais/Georges Meguerditchian

The Ravens (1907), Wassily Kandinsky. Centre Pompidou, Paris. Photo: © Centre Pompidou, Paris/MNAM-CCI/RMN-Grand Palais/Georges Meguerditchian