LONDON

January CITIES OF THE MONTH
A NEW TONE
OF EXPRESSION
Under the microscope. Gustave
Courbet, Seated Male Model, ca.1840.
Faust
Tre Stuer og Bar
Oslo
Photo by Lasse Fløde
Photo by Marianne Lind
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While the forgery of artworks has been taking
place for almost as long as artists have been painting,
the geometric expansion of the art market and the rise
in prices for artworks, as well as amazing advances in
technology, mean that the scandals swirling around
forgeries are occurring far more often than before. Even
the most expert of experts at prestigious museums
often find it difficult to tell the difference between an
authentic artwork and a fake. At the exhibition Under
the Microscope. Gustave Courbet, which is now on
view at Norway’s National Gallery (Universitetsgata
13; nasjonalmuseet.no; until February 5), one of these
thrilling stories is told in detail.
In 1947, the museum received Pêcheur à la ligne (The
Fisherman) by Gustave Courbet (1819–1877) as a gift, but
Courbet experts in France long doubted the painting’s
authenticity. Their doubts were accentuated by the
fact that Courbet’s style is easily imitated and the
famous artist is therefore one of the most frequently
counterfeited. He painted about 500 works, but
collections worldwide hold about 5000 pieces attributed
to him. Many forgeries have been discovered in recent
years, but in the case of Pêcheur à la ligne, countless
examinations testify to its authenticity. The Oslo
exhibition is a visual story of how the museum reached
this conclusion.
Connoisseurs of fine design and fashion should
check out the new Norwegian luxury shoe store Faust
(Dronning Eufemias gate 10; fauststore.no), whose
interior was designed by the well-known architectural
firm Snøhetta. The store's logo was inspired by Johann
Wolfgang von Goethe’s 17 th -century manuscripts of
Faust. The Oslo store offers tailor-made originals as well
as handmade ready-to-wear shoes. Craftsmanship in the
form of elegance, high-quality materials and their skilful
use is the store’s primary message. The store harbours
five vaulted niches that call houses of worship to mind,
while bridging the 21 st century with the period in which
Goethe composed his work. Each niche has a particular
function – one displays finished examples of shoes,
another serves as a dressing room, while a third houses
the craftsmen’s instruments.
There’s also a new place in Oslo for good beer, burgers
and other grilled food. Tre Stuer og Bar (Darres gate 1)
means “three living rooms and a bar” in Norwegian. The
dark blue walls and ceilings as well as the wooden floors
and tables with retro brass details make this a cosy
locale. It’s a perfect place to take a break on a wintry day
in the Norwegian capital.
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