Opening Reception for Fredrik Værslev: The Joy of Painting

In the winter of 2026, the Neubauer Collegium will host The Joy of Painting, the first institutional exhibition in the U.S. of Norwegian artist Fredrik Værslev (b. 1979). Conceived as a micro-survey, the show will bring together eight large-scale paintings, each representing a distinct body of work and conceived as an exercise in geometric abstraction. One giant painting reduces the Japanese flag to color and form, for instance; another calls to mind a speckled stretch of sunshade. A scrunched-up bit of canvas resembles a parted curtain, and a work from Værslev's "Terrazzo" series invokes the spirit of Jackson Pollock. Taken as a whole, the paintings on view showcase Værslev’s systematic interrogation of abstract art as well as the many methods through which abstraction can be produced. The rigor of Værslev’s formal language notwithstanding, the exhibition is a heartfelt homage to the varied pleasures of making one’s mark, paintbrush and palette in hand.

IMAGE: Allison Katz, Portrait of Fredrik Værslev, 2025. Courtesy of the artist.