Karin Sundbye
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A life woven in colour, form and experience

"My works are based on my fascination with the colour red, the only colour that means the same the whole world over: love and revolution – and on my love of nature."

Timeline

Stay in Trondheim

In the autumn of 1945 Karin lived in Trondheim, where she saw drawings by Bjarne Ness and began drawing with professor Stabel. This became an important part of her early artistic development. The drawing is from Bjarne Engebret tegneskole, Oslo. (1946-47, charcoal drawing)

Charcoal drawing of a standing female nude seen from behind, with one arm stretched up towards a drapery. Grey and brown charcoal tones on light paper.

Om hele vinder i rommet

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Woven tapestry with fringes along the lower edge. Curved bands in red, magenta and orange cross a green oval against a ground of diagonal stripes in blue and dark blue.

Som et tre

The tapestry was acquired by Norges idretthøyskole in 1964. The work is 185 x 165 cm

Woven tapestry in vertical bands. Coral, red and magenta rise like trunks between dark blue and soot-black fields.

Sol

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Do you know more about this work today? Perhaps you know where it is now? Get in touch

Black and white photograph of a tapestry. Light, wedge-shaped fields radiate downwards from a dark, crown-like form at the top, towards horizontal bands in varying shades of grey.

UKS exhibition

The visual artists Brit Fuglevaag, Karin Sundbye and Anne Marie Komissar take part in the textile exhibition.

Black-and-white photograph of three women sitting side by side in front of a tapestry on the wall.

The Lausanne Biennial

Bubu takes part in one of the world's most important textile exhibitions. With the tapestry Castell (195 x 265 cm) as the Norwegian contribution to 4e Beiennale Internationale de la Tapisserie.

Woven tapestry hung on a wall. Rectangular fields in red, blue and dark blue lie on a light, cream-coloured ground, broken by areas of loose, hanging threads.

Atelier Art Protis (Brno)

Working with new techniques and materials. Experimenting with textile collage further influences the expression. In the winter of 1969 Karin was invited to work at the Art protis atelier in Czechoslovakia. Two tapestries shown at an exhibition.

Colour photograph of a large textile work in progress, spread out across a floor. Areas of blue, red, green, orange and yellow are divided up by pale guide lines.Colour photograph of Karin Sundbye kneeling over a large textile work spread out on a parquet floor. She is working on the surface with a brush; the work has undulating forms in blue, pink, green and orange. Behind her, sacks of yarn stand along the wall.

Som sol i luften

209 × 355 cm.

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Photograph of a large tapestry spread out across a floor. Diagonal stripes in pink, blue, green, yellow and orange meet in broad, curved bands.

Stormens hav

1971, 200×200 cm, tapestry acquired by Kreditkassen i Fredrikstad

Woven tapestry in blue with plaited bands. An ochre, hook-shaped form and a pale arc lie against dark blue and purple wave shapes.

Vesterhavet

1971, 200×200 cm, tapestry acquired by Apotekernes fellesinnkjøp AS

Braided bands in purple, blue and green fan out to the right and lie across a dark green oval and a blue-purple circle on a light ground.

Of sky and sea, of weather and wind

In 1971 Karin Sundbye held a solo exhibition at Kunstnernes Hus in Oslo, where she presented tapestries developed through her work with new textile techniques. The exhibition marked an important milestone in her career and helped establish her as a central artist in the textile field.

Close-up of a woven tapestry. Red, rectangular bands are interlaced in a grid pattern at the top and pass into undulating red forms with white gaps, against a ground of diagonal stripes.

Det reiser seg en bølge

(165 x 180) Acquired in 1983. Skien Kommune

Tapestry on a black ground. Two curved bands in yellow and red rise towards each other like a wave, with dense stripes in several colours where they meet.

La oss vandre

For the wedding room in Bærum Tinghus, Karin Sundbye was asked to make a tapestry to adorn a wall. She would have preferred to cover the whole wall; as it now hangs, “La oss vandre” covers 1,5 x 4,1 meter with just enough room for a frame around it like a white passe-partout. It dominates the room and gives it, with its luminous blue and yellow colours against shifting shades of grey, a springlike character, a nod to admirers of Weidemann that the colours of spring are also softly luminous green and yellow. The blue and yellow bands wind across the surface and open up the space just behind the registrar's chair; they form a contrapuntal pattern of individual wills in interplay against a background that is by no means merely grey. A contribution to a debate on living together that ought to be seen by others than those who happen to be in the midst of an important decision and perhaps do not notice the finer shades. Such a ceremony takes only a few minutes and leaves little time to meditate on colours and forms. Something will surely remain as a warm and finely tuned greeting from the artist: “La oss vandre” the paths the warp of life lets us wander, in the light if possible and with a musical line! And so Karin Sundbye has been allowed to show that light colours can also hang against a light background, something that “could not be done” according to one of the many conventions of room decoration.

Photograph of a meeting room with a desk and green chairs. On the wall behind hangs a wide tapestry with undulating bands in blue, yellow and orange against a light background.

Over dypene

Tapestry from 1975. Acquired by Vestlandske kunstindustrimuseum, Bergen (Info about where it has been exhibited/where it is today/request missing info.)

Woven tapestry in deep blue-purple. A round form in pink and red rises up behind dark, undulating layers at the bottom of the surface.

Draft for a stage curtain

Oslo kommune's art commission competition 1976. The sketch above was executed at atelier Art Proties, Brno.

Draft for a stage curtain in wide format. Undulating vertical forms are repeated in red, blue, green and orange against dark fields.Painted draft in wide format. Vertical strips are set side by side, with undulating, slanting forms in strong red, cobalt blue and dark green.

Endeløs er vår natt

A central work with strong contrasts (black/white/red). Shows a mature phase in her expression. 200×200 cm, tapestry, acquired by Nasjonalgalleriet, Oslo in 1983

Tapestry on a black ground. A large, white organic form extends across the upper part of the surface, with a red and orange circle resting below.

Nordenfjeldske kunstindustrimuseum

Tapestry exhibited in Trondheim. The name of the series is unknown.

Woven tapestry on a light, grey-green ground. A folded form in red, orange and pink hovers in the middle of the surface.Photograph from an exhibition hall. A wide woven tapestry hangs freely from the ceiling, with a light beige ground and three pointed, curved forms in orange and rust red. Behind it hang pale curtains; in front lies a polished concrete floor.

Det reiser seg en bølge

Tapestry Acquired by Skien kunstforening in 1983. 195×185 cm.

Three details of woven tapestry placed one above the other. Large arcs in red, orange and yellow rise against a black ground, with densely striped areas where the colours meet.

Fra min spanske dagbok

200×200 cm, tapestry, acquired by Norsk kulturråd.

Woven tapestry on a cream-white ground. Black and red organic shapes meet from top and bottom, with a small black circle in the pale area.

Acrylic painting

From a journey in Morocco and Finca Santo Thomas Image 1 & 2: Marokko 1990, 22×30 cm image 3 & 4: Finca Santo Thomas 1990, 22×30 cm

Four small acrylic paintings arranged in a grid. Ridge landscapes in red, ochre, green and blue beneath a clear sky.

Der land legges øde

160×150 cm, tapestry

Woven tapestry in red and orange with vertical stripes. The lower part shifts into pink and violet along a horizontal dividing line.

Hyldest. (til folket langs sandefjord)

The work was acquired by Ås kommune in 1998. 195×215 cm, tapestry. From an exhibition at Kunstnerforbundet.

Photograph from a gallery. Through a dark doorway a tapestry in red, blue and orange is visible in a lit room, with a pale sculpture to the left.

Med blå revne

170×160 cm, tapestry

Photograph from the atelier. A large red tapestry with a blue vertical stripe hangs on the wall, in front of a table with baskets of pink and red yarn.

I en steil og stille ro

Tapestry acquired by Ås kommune in 2003. It hangs in the administration building in central Ås. The photograph was taken in the atelier in Sundbybakkene.

Woven tapestry in red with a blue, triangular field at the upper right, hung over the loom with white fringes down towards the wooden floor.Photograph of a red tapestry hung for photography on the wall of a red-painted wooden house, with a lamp stand and camera tripod in the grass in front.

Karins røde tepper

Publication/exhibition reflecting on her artistic work and use of colour. “Mot en annen virkelighet” taken from Karin's atelier in Sundbybakkene 1993 (170×160 cm).

Photograph from the atelier. A large tapestry in red, orange and yellow hangs on the wall, with a loom in the foreground and baskets full of red balls of yarn on the floor.

Karins røde teppe

Karin's red tapestry is acquired by Halden Sparebank in 1994, 160×150 cm, tapestry weave.

Tapestry in saturated red with orange stripes running in the direction of the warp. At the top right, a small, multicoloured section emerges.

The fire on the finca

Autumn 1999 Oil painting "Brannen" (22×31 cm).

Oil painting. A dark, burnt landscape lies beneath a green sky with traces of orange.Oil painting. Two dark treetops stand against an orange field to the right; to the left the field is green, and along the bottom lies a broad, dark green band with visible brushstrokes.

Stay in Spain (Finca)

Documented in texts – showing her life in motion and continuous inspiration Pictured are the Sundbye cousins, Annema and Bubu in Estepona. 1999

Colour photograph of two elderly women sitting at a table at an outdoor café in sunshine.

Mot landet i det fjerne

200×210 cm, tapestry, acquired by Norsk kulturråd

Tapestry on a cream-white ground. Red, undulating bands cut in at the top and bottom, meeting in a double wave form in the middle of the surface.

75th birthday celebration and interview

Regarded as an important figure in Norwegian textile art. 10 tekstiljenter, gathered in Grindstua 2003. Standing from left: Marianne Haukebø, Kari-Bjørg Ile, Turid Holter, Runa Boger, Åse Frøyshov and Jorunn Jo. Seated from left: Ragnhild Monsen, Karin Sundbye, Bente Vold Klausen, Rønnaug Vaa.

Group photograph of ten women gathered in front of a red tapestry in a room with log walls.

Karin receives the King's Medal of Merit

In 2006 Karin Sundbye received Kongens fortjenstmedalje i gull. The award marked an important recognition of her long work as an artist, communicator and central figure in Norwegian textile art. "It was a strange experience to sit as guest of honour in the town hall in Ås and listen to the speeches that were given. It is true that I am used to being in the 'spotlight', but then it is because of my tapestries. This time was something else, because now it was about me as a person, and there was not a thread to hide behind. I wondered who they were talking about, and found that it was interesting to hear how a working life was perceived." Image 2: Bubu in 2018 with Kongens fortjenstmedalje i gull.

Photograph from a gathering. A woman in a patterned jacket stands speaking at a table with guests around it.Colour photograph. Karin stands in tall grass beneath blossoming trees, in a black jumper with a medal on a red ribbon on her chest.

Exhibitions (Ski / Ås)

Continues to exhibit and to be active in the art community. The photograph is from Ski kunstforening.

Photograph from an exhibition. A woman in a red jumper points at a yellow and violet tapestry for a group of schoolchildren, with a large red tapestry in the background.

Tekstiljentene gathered at Ås kunstforening

From left: Karin Sundbye, Sidsel C. Karlsen, Tove Pedersen, Marianne Haukebø, Rønnaug Vaa, Åse Frogner.

Photograph from an exhibition opening. A group of women stand holding red roses in a gallery with tapestries on the walls.

Watercolour painting

36,5×27,7 cm

Watercolour. Loose layers in orange and pink at the top pass into blue, running fields above a white, pointed form.

The Christmas exhibition at Kunstnerforbundet

Karin, aged 95, in front of "Som sol i luften"

Photograph of Karin Sundbye sitting on the floor in front of a large, multicoloured tapestry with diagonal stripes in red, blue, green and yellow.

Commemorative medal for service during the Second World War

On her 95th birthday, Karin received a medal from the mayor of Ås for her efforts during the Second World War. As a young woman she ran messages for the resistance movement in Oslo, and the ceremony was a late, but important recognition of this part of her life story.

Screenshot of an article from Ås Avis about Karin Sundbye turning 95 and receiving a commemorative medal for her work as a courier during the Second World War. Below the text, a photo in which the mayor holds out the medal case across a kitchen table.

Karin passes away

Karin Sundbye passes away after a long life in art and creation. She was 96 years old

Portrait photograph of Karin Sundbye in a cardigan in the kitchen, with copper pans hanging on the wall behind her.
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