Electromagnetic : Modern Art in Northern Europe, 1918-1931

An overlooked chapter: the international influence of Scandinavian and Baltic avant-garde art

Since the early twentieth century at the latest, Scandinavian and Baltic artists have been represented in numerous important international exhibitions and countless European publications. Viking Eggeling, Henrik Olvi, Thorvald Hellesen, Otto Carlsund, Franciska Clausen, Alexandra Belcova, Gustav Klutsis, and GAN closely collaborated with avant-garde artists such as Fernand Léger, Theo van Doesburg, Amédée Ozenfant, Le Corbusier, and Juan Gris. However, they experienced a lack of understanding and rejection upon returning to their home countries, where their art was considered irrelevant and condemned in terms of national identity and historiography. Most of them have not been included in the main narrative of the international European avant-garde. This pioneering publication repositions their work between 1918 and 1931 with respect to the international movements of the time and sheds light on their shared global visions.