Ibsen, Paris, La Belle Époque and Jane Avril

Artist Maria Norrman is developing an art project based on the dancer Jane Avril (1868–1943), whom many will recognize from the posters by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and her role as Anitra in Ibsen’s Peer Gynt. The project explores the connection between Avril, Ibsen’s dramatic universe, and the Parisian art and cultural scene of the late nineteenth century.

The project is conceived as an artistic documentary, or visual presentation, of Norrman’s research into the 1896 Paris premiere of Ibsen’s Peer Gynt and Jane Avril’s performance in the role of Anitra. Through her work with Avril, costume, visual culture, and archival material, she brings a different perspective to this historical material.

Curator and project developer Hilde Herming is working in parallel on Ibsen’s connections to Paris and to the French-Norwegian art and cultural scene of the late nineteenth century. In addition, A Doll’s House achieved its major French breakthrough in Paris as early as 1894, and the manuscript is, as is well known, included in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register.

Norrman and Herming’s work is being developed with the aim of establishing collaborations between Norwegian and French arts and cultural institutions, particularly in connection with the 200th anniversary of Ibsen’s birth in 2028.

Contact information

Hilde Herming, Curator
Mail: hermingh@online.no

Maria Norrman, Visual artist
Mail: c.maria.norrman@gmail.com

Homepage: Visual artist Maria Norrman