Bjarne Melgaard is a real painters' painter at Saatchi Gallery

Bjarne Melgaard is a controversial artist, befitting of the controversial all-male showcase currently on show at London's Saatchi Gallery. To some, his vibrant assemblages are frustrating. To others, they're bold works of genius, exploring difficult themes like addiction with clarity and depth. Hidden layers are revealed the more you look into the Norwegian artist's animated signatures, savage brush strokes and Picasso-esque features. No matter your opinion, Melgaard's work is undoubtedly 'art'.
Not according to certain Norwegian customs officials, though. On a recent romp through the border in Oslo's Gardermoen Airport, control staff confiscated a number of his artworks on the grounds that they were not art, and therefore not subject to the same tax exemptions. After convincing them otherwise (some three months later, and only after the intervention of Norway's finance minister Siv Jensen) Melgaard won the right to categorise his works as art. Now, he downplays the whole ridiculous situation. 'It was annoying,' he states. 'But in the end I won my case and I changed Norwegian law. So it was a good thing that it happened.'
'Untitled (Fear of Les Super)', by Bjarne Melgaard, 2007
The dispute centred on the categorisation of the works as paintings. According to Norway's outdated regulations, 'paintings must be executed entirely by hand', whereas Melgaard uses various innovative printing techniques in his work. With this in mind, it seems apt that his work is now included in Saatchi's 'Painters' Painters' exhibition – a group show presenting a selection of nine influential, present-day painters, who are helping to shape the medium's future.
The group show aims to highlight what the gallery implies is a lagging medium, suffering from some curators' fetishes for digital works. But for Melgaard, painting is still very much alive. 'I don’t think that curators are not favouring painting because there are so many painters around doing work,' he says. In Melgaard's opinion, it seems, as long as work is being produced, the galleries will take it, and the punters will be there to drink it in. The invariably boundary-busting work on display throughout the exhibition ratifies his point.
'Future Portrait (#49)', by Richard Aldrich, 2003
Other exhibition highlights come courtesy of Dexter Dalwood and Martin Maloney, along with Richard Aldrich, whose paintings Melgaard particularly admires. 'I like that Aldrich's work is so difficult to understand and that it’s not at all comprehensible. It’s also totally non-linear. It’s interesting to me what he does, because it’s so very far away from what I’m doing myself.'
Indeed, Aldrich's vast white works seem to stand in complete visual contrast to Melgaard's vivid portraits, the subjects of which Meglaard keeps close to his chest. All he reveals is that they're a mix 'of fictional and real people.' Indeed, mystery pervades each works' myriad layers, belying their initial childlike impression. Viewers are left with more questions than answers. And if this isn't the purpose of art – to provoke discussion, questioning and mystery – we're not sure what is.
The show brings together works by nine painters, including Richard Aldrich
Great Expectations - A Windy Day, by David Brian Smith, 2015
Kurt Cobain's Greenhouse, by Dexter Dalwood, 2000
Installation view of Martin Maloney's included works
Installation view of Raffi Kalenderian's paintings
INFORMATION
’Painters’ Painters’ is on view until 28 February. For more information, visit the Saatchi Gallery website
ADDRESS
Saatchi Gallery
Duke Of York's HQ
King's Road
London SW3 4RY
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Elly Parsons is the Digital Editor of Wallpaper*, where she oversees Wallpaper.com and its social platforms. She has been with the brand since 2015 in various roles, spending time as digital writer – specialising in art, technology and contemporary culture – and as deputy digital editor. She was shortlisted for a PPA Award in 2017, has written extensively for many publications, and has contributed to three books. She is a guest lecturer in digital journalism at Goldsmiths University, London, where she also holds a masters degree in creative writing. Now, her main areas of expertise include content strategy, audience engagement, and social media.
-
All-In is the Paris-based label making full-force fashion for main character dressing
Part of our monthly Uprising series, Wallpaper* meets Benjamin Barron and Bror August Vestbø of All-In, the LVMH Prize-nominated label which bases its collections on a riotous cast of characters – real and imagined
By Orla Brennan
-
Maserati joins forces with Giorgetti for a turbo-charged relationship
Announcing their marriage during Milan Design Week, the brands unveiled a collection, a car and a long term commitment
By Hugo Macdonald
-
Through an innovative new training program, Poltrona Frau aims to safeguard Italian craft
The heritage furniture manufacturer is training a new generation of leather artisans
By Cristina Kiran Piotti
-
‘Humour is foundational’: artist Ella Kruglyanskaya on painting as a ‘highly questionable’ pursuit
Ella Kruglyanskaya’s exhibition, ‘Shadows’ at Thomas Dane Gallery, is the first in a series of three this year, with openings in Basel and New York to follow
By Hannah Silver
-
The art of the textile label: how British mill-made cloth sold itself to Indian buyers
An exhibition of Indo-British textile labels at the Museum of Art & Photography (MAP) in Bengaluru is a journey through colonial desire and the design of mass persuasion
By Aastha D
-
Artist Qualeasha Wood explores the digital glitch to weave stories of the Black female experience
In ‘Malware’, her new London exhibition at Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, the American artist’s tapestries, tuftings and videos delve into the world of internet malfunction
By Hannah Silver
-
Ed Atkins confronts death at Tate Britain
In his new London exhibition, the artist prods at the limits of existence through digital and physical works, including a film starring Toby Jones
By Emily Steer
-
Tom Wesselmann’s 'Up Close' and the anatomy of desire
In a new exhibition currently on show at Almine Rech in London, Tom Wesselmann challenges the limits of figurative painting
By Sam Moore
-
A major Frida Kahlo exhibition is coming to the Tate Modern next year
Tate’s 2026 programme includes 'Frida: The Making of an Icon', which will trace the professional and personal life of countercultural figurehead Frida Kahlo
By Anna Solomon
-
A portrait of the artist: Sotheby’s puts Grayson Perry in the spotlight
For more than a decade, photographer Richard Ansett has made Grayson Perry his muse. Now Sotheby’s is staging a selling exhibition of their work
By Hannah Silver
-
From counter-culture to Northern Soul, these photos chart an intimate history of working-class Britain
‘After the End of History: British Working Class Photography 1989 – 2024’ is at Edinburgh gallery Stills
By Tianna Williams