History

Blomqvist Kunsthandel was founded by C.W. Blomqvist back in 1870. At the time it was not only one of the earliest art dealers in Christiania (as Oslo was called at the time), or even Norway, but one of the first in Scandinavia. During the first forty years, the business moved several times—at one point Blomqvist’s had show rooms on Oslo’s main thoroughfare at Karl Johan’s gate. In 1914, however, we moved into the building—then completely new—that would remain our home ever since. 

Blomqvist’s have showcased Contemporary Art and artists from the beginning; Henrik Lund was the first of many artists, which would include virtually every Norwegian artist of repute, to hold a solo exhibition at Blomqvist’s. Edvard Munch exhibited on numerous occasions at Blomqvist’s; in 1917 he presented his new Frieze of Lifeto the public at Blomqvist’s because we were one of the few venues with sufficient space to house every element of the Frieze of Life. 

By 1924, the then proprietor was already holding auctions each spring and autumn of ‘old Norwegian art’, in addition to handling art sales and managing the gallery. By the end of the 1920s, the auction side of the business had already become a mainstay of Blomqvist’s activities.

In 1930 the business was sold to A.M. Vik, and it is his great grandchildren who today wield the hammer at our time-honoured auctions.