ArtistNorwegian
Jan Aunvik
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Born in Orkanger on 10 October 1948, Jan Aunvik grew up on the west coast of Norway before moving to Oslo for his artistic education at Rolf Schønfeld's Drawing and Painting School. He made his debut at the State Autumn Exhibition in 1973, entering a Norwegian art scene still dominated by figurative traditions while younger artists were beginning to explore more experimental graphic forms.
Aunvik worked across two distinct registers that coexisted throughout his career. In charcoal and pencil he created softly atmospheric study heads and symbolic figure compositions, their edges slightly blurred, their mood introspective and romantic. In etching and aquatint he found a different voice altogether - freer, more abstract, with structures built from bitten lines and tonal washes. Lithography was a third medium he returned to repeatedly, producing prints with clean surfaces and a quiet tonal sophistication.
He participated consistently in the major Norwegian exhibition circuits: the State Autumn Exhibition, the East Norway Exhibition, the Trøndelag Exhibition, and exhibitions organized through the Drawing Association and the Norwegian Printmakers. He also showed in Denmark and France. Over time he assumed a leadership role in the printmaking community, serving as chairman of Norske Grafikere (the Norwegian Printmakers' association).
Public institutions took notice of his work early. The National Gallery, Riksgalleriet, the Norwegian Arts Council, Oslo Municipality's collections, and several county and regional bodies all acquired his prints and drawings. This breadth of institutional acquisition placed him firmly within the canon of Norwegian graphic art in the late twentieth century, even as his name remained less prominent than some of his contemporaries.
Aunvik disappeared on 9 September 2001 in a boating accident off Måløy in Sogn og Fjordane and is presumed dead. He was 52. On Auctionist, his 20 recorded auction lots have appeared at Fineart and Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner in Norway, with works spanning lithographs and compositions from the late 1970s and early 1980s. The top recorded hammer price stands at NOK 12,000 for "Når menneskene motarbeider hverandre" (1982).