The Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean captivates with its depiction through 150 artworks from the 16th century to the present. This book presents around 150 artworks spanning from the 16th century until today, offering unique visions of the North Atlantic Ocean and illustrating how its cold, dark waters have influenced human practices, lives, and aspirations over centuries.

Mirroring the flow of the oceans, the book highlights the coexistence of species, cultures, and stories. It features romantic paintings of stormy seas or shipwrecks by renowned artists such as J.M.W. Turner, Peder Balke, J.C. Dahl, and John Constable. Their work has shaped the collective imagination, and these pieces are interspersed with more modern interpretations, including vitalist bathing scenes by Edvard Munch and Anna-Eva Bergman's abstract geometric compositions of the coastal landscapes of Northern Norway.

Vintage maps from the late 1500-1700s, combining accurately drawn coastlines with fantastical creatures, are woven alongside contemporary works. These include Allan Sekula's seminal photographic documentation of globalized trade and precarious labour at sea in Fish Story (1988-95), and video installations by artists such as Sondra Perry and Joar Nango.