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From March 25 to July 27, 2025, the Musée d’Orsay presents Christian Krohg: The People of the North, the first major retrospective of the Norwegian artist ever held outside of Scandinavia. Shedding new light on Norwegian art from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the exhibition highlights Krohg’s pictorial modernity and his profound humanist engagement.

A painter, writer, and journalist, Krohg was a radical figure—an empathetic chronicler of social injustice and a fervent defender of the marginalized. Through portraits of fishermen, laborers, and women forced into prostitution, he created a body of work rooted in dignity and resistance. His realism was never voyeuristic; it was ethical. He believed that art should provoke, awaken, and serve progress.

At the heart of the exhibition is the monumental painting Albertine at the Police Doctor’s Office, created in response to the censorship of his 1886 novel Albertine, which was banned for its frank depiction of sexual violence and social hypocrisy. Krohg’s refusal to submit to censorship—going so far as to hire real sex workers as models—marked a turning point in Nordic cultural history. Few works have so starkly revealed the darker sides of bourgeois morality.

The exhibition also explores Krohg’s artistic connections with French contemporaries, particularly Courbet, Manet, and the Impressionists. His bold framing, dynamic postures, and unbalanced compositions—guided by his credo “it’s all a question of framing”—place him firmly within the avant-garde currents of his time.

Visitors are invited into the world of Kristiania’s bohemia (now Oslo), where cafés buzzed with rebellious writers, artists, and intellectuals who challenged social norms and forged new identities. Krohg vividly portrayed this libertarian milieu, capturing both its characters and its spirit.

In contrast to his more polemical works, paintings from the Danish village of Skagen and intimate scenes from his own family life offer a softer, more tender look at everyday rituals, domestic care, and emotional closeness. These moments, rendered with quiet empathy, affirm Krohg’s deep belief in art’s ability to connect us through shared human experience.

This exhibition is not merely a presentation of a Norwegian painter—it is a profound encounter with universal themes of justice, resistance, and compassion. With The People of the North, Paris turns its gaze northward and discovers not cold distance, but urgent humanity.

In the context of this exhibition, it is worth noting the fascinating connection between Christian Krohg, Edvard Munch, and Henrik Ibsen. Ibsen influenced Krohg through shared themes and a sharply critical tone. Krohg, in turn, supported the young Munch and played an important role in his artistic development, even though their styles ultimately diverged. What unites all three figures is a strong sense of social engagement, directed against bourgeois hypocrisy and in defense of the marginalized.

As an enriching extension of the exhibition, the Musée d’Orsay bookstore has curated a special selection of Scandinavian literature, art books, and critical studies. This thoughtful collection offers visitors an opportunity to explore the broader context of Nordic thought and aesthetics. The North is not only represented in images—it is also present in words, narratives, and voices that continue to echo across Europe.