Born in Trondheim in 1949.
Education and Influence
Cand. Phil in German and English with Master-assigment “The Grotesque in Shakespeare’s Tragedies”.
Elling Reitan is a pupil of Odd Nerdrum and Bjørn Sverrbo and his mentor is Jens Johannessen. He dedicates to Jens Johannessen his use of the butterfly motif which in many of his works spreads its wings out from a woman’s body or from a “picture in the picture”.
However, the artist has found and developed his own, specific style, often influenced by Edvard Munch and religious Middle Age motifs in strong colours.
He has participated in more than 150 separate- and group exhibitions in Norway and abroad, and he made his debut in a juried exhibition in Trondhjem’s Kunstforening in 1979.
Today, Elling Reitan is one of Norway’s most reknown and popular, contemporary multiartists (paintings, watercolours, coal drawings, lithographs, colour etchings (carborundum), serigraphs with mixed media and glassware art) and hardly anything in his artworks now shows sign of his artistic education and influence. He has found his personal style which is unique for him, strong colours, motifs and composition and the final art works acknowledge Elling Reitan’s special hallmark. He is often called “The artist with the beautiful colours”.
The stroke pair
The pair in black and white (Yin and Yang) was utilized for the first time in 1983, mainly to create depth- and perspective effects. Today the stroke pair has found its natural place in all of Elling Reitans’s works on an equal level as the artist’s own signature.
Exhibitions/Projects
Separate exhibitions in Galleri Pingvin, Oslo, Gallery Westwood, New York, Landskrona, Sweden in connection with an “Elling Reitan Invitational” international golf tournament, launching an important artbook based upon the biblical text “Song of Songs/ Salomos høysang” with original lithographs in cooperation with French artisans and foreword by Lars Elton, Norwegian Art Critic in H. M. Queen Sonja’s Church- and Cultural Center in Paris, Trondhjem Kunstforening, Galleri Kjeldaas, Oslo, Galleri Grønneset, Trøndelag, Galleri Varden, Moss and participation in a juried collective Chinese-European art show in Carrousel du Louvre, Paris as well as art fair/exhibition in Miami and Ferrara, Italy. Also represented with prints at Galleri D40 in Oslo.
Artfairs/Galleries
Los Angeles Art Fair, Galleri Nygaten, Bergen in connection with Festspillene (Musical Festival) in May, print exhibition, Stavanger, Galleri Arnulf Øverland, Kristiansund, Kristiansand, New Dehli, Bangalore, Beijing, Gallery Westwood, New York and Miami Art Fair. Asia Contemporary Art Fair in Hong Kong and Shanghai Art Fair with Ashok Jain Gallery.
Also several solo shows at Ashok Jain Gallery, New York.
In 2009 he got an article in “The Affluent Page”, a reknown US art magazine, and a review in Art News, the largest US art magazine, issued in more than 120 countries..
He also participated in a juried Chinese-European art show in the Forbidden City in Beijing in 2009, he has had a separate exhibition in “The Nordic Heritage Museum” in Seattle in 2004 and he is permanently represented in Gallery Westwood , New York.
Participated 8 times at Art-Miami with Westwood Gallery, NY, and also at Art Chicago, Los Angeles Art Fair and San Fransisco Art Show.
Solo shows in the East: Time&Space Gallery, Bangalore, 2008 and 2011.
Redwood Museum, Beijing 2012. Galleri Fineart, Oslo.
2013: Exhibits in Norway, Galleri Pingvin, Oslo. Shanghai Art Fair with Ashok Jain Gallery, NY. Artmiami with Westwood Gallery.
2014: Edvard Munch Tribute Exhibition, Westwood Gallery, NY. Asia Contemporary Art Fair with Ashok Jain Gallery NY. Artmiami.
Galleri SG, Trondheim, Galleri Fenka, Levanger. Soli Brug, Gulden Kunstverk.
2015: Opera Festival Exhibit, Kristiansund.
Themes
The artist has had several theme-exhibitions; Peer Gynt and Ibsen’s Women in the Ibsen Year 2006 (Paris and Oslo), Apocalypse with the subtheme the nature bleeds, which is his warning about the climatic changes (Bogense, Denmark, Oslo, London, New York and Bangalore, India).
In addition, he often uses the Madonna-figure who is “the Mother of all women”. It is the women’s particular spiritual creatures which often preoccupies the artist. In many of his works, these are often his reflections and thoughts.
Another theme is man’s yarning in time and space. One can often see in his works persons regarding the horizon (symbolized by strong and vibrant lights) with their shadows in projection.
Collections
H. M. Queen Sonja, Department of Fisheries, Riksrevisjonen (General Accounting Office), Høyesterett (Supreme Court), Health Department, Hæren Forsyningskommando (Army Supply Corps), Statoil, Post Department, Oslo Lufthavn (Airport), Cap Gemini, Bruce Springsteen, Victoria & David Beckham, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, …. and private collections in the US, Asia and Europe.
Miscellanous
There are 2 books published about the artist
Elling Reitan, Mystisk – Filosofisk – Symbolistisk, 2001 in English and Norwegian
Den Enigmatiske Engel (The Enigmatic Angel) by Ole Lindboe, Danish Art critic, 2005 in English and Norwegian
