Odd Nerdrum (born 1944) is one of the greatest figurative painter in our time. Norway has had the honor of being symbolic represented internationally by a man who has taken one of the greatest mission in life on his shoulders: painting in the Greco – roman tradition.

Nerdrum has been a student in the figurative school: one part under an Art – institution, and the other as his own disciplined Master. He was first a student at the Academy of Arts in Oslo where he discovered the joy in painting “the old fashion” way, a technique that represents a prior baroque perspective in viewing and painting. His passion and interest was in a great controversy with the Norwegian Art world which is mainly sponsored by the State, and they made him an outsider since his existents also meant that he was apolitical. He followed his talent with love. Not as a duty.

This destiny also occurred when he spent some time by the Art academy in Düsseldorf where his old master technique met disgust. Nerdrum got Zorn as a nickname after the Swedish painter Anders Zorn (1860-1920) who is well known for his beautiful portraits. Zorn is also the painter who has been labeled Kitsch in the writings of the famous philosopher Hermann Broch (1933).

Odd Nerdrum had his first exhibition in Norway (1967), 23 years old. After that it has been several others in Norway and USA. In the early stages in his career Nerdrum painted sosio - democratic paintings, but it didn’t last very long before he entered the passion and love in timeless archetypes themes about human existence.

We – the audience- have been blessed with with the joy and entertainment in Nerdrum paintings. Whether our feelings has made us exited, happy or philosophizing, they have one thing in common which holds the whole audience together: We can with our own independent faculty see with our own eyes what is painted on the canvas, and the result is an individual personal feeling!

The technique of the old masters is being used when the producer of a painting wants to show human existence as it really is! This technique is – as mentioned earlier- a life mission where the timeless craft is build up by thousands of hours with hard , disciplined work.

This work is easy to forget in the museums context today where the audience often concludes that they could make the Art object themselves – and of course: much better .
The audience and their cognitive faculty seek quality in the art museum context.

An other reason why Nerdrum is an outsider, is that his passion in painting as the old masters is a dirty work of handy craft, in deep contrast to the autonomous, sublime, ironic artistic work of today. Odd Nerdrum hasn’t adjusted his talent in behalf of the Norwegian Art-world or others…Why?

Hasn’t he been original and not followed the dictators of the majority, the elite that claims themselves of being original and free?

The paradox in Kitsch Forum is this: Why hasn’t the State of Norway and its Art-world recognized Nerdrums works when the majority of the audience has done it?
The young and elder have enthusiastically embraced his talent and abilities.

USA is a country which is based upon quite different principles and values than social democratic Norway, and maybe that’s why they have acknowledged Nerdrum as a great and gifted painter? One reason for this may be that American is more liberal in their politics, and their moral has its basis in the individual agent through it’s realization of the Self, independent ability of judgment and of course…hard work as the only way too success.

The principles and values which dominate Norway and generally the whole of Northern Europe are the social-democracy and socialism where the morality lies in collective, altruism and the sacrifice of the self.

The thing that has my interest is this: What kind of consequences has these different value systems in the field of cultural and aesthetic production?

Could it be that Nerdrums rebellion label and actions that represent the (evil Broch 1933) is labeled evil because Norway as a state and Art World fight him as evil? Has he been amoral, and is that the reason why the Art World fights him. The Art World following and praising their holy Kantian duty. Is the moral and politics in Nerdrums actions wrong in the eye of the “good” value system? Hasn’t Nerdrum been the well known second hander who lets other judgments be his milestone and who sacrifice their own faculty in case of their own judgment?

Has Odd Nerdrum gone through all the drama because he has fought to the bitter end to keep his talent, so that the public could enjoy his pictures as much that he does. They enjoy the reality and feeling, not the harassment and hurt around Nerdrums personality. Only people who seize power enjoy crowding. Maybe Nerdrum hasn’t listened to the voice of the curiatoriat in how he should be, or how he should behave. Maybe the Art World always needs to have the last definitions on the reality scene in every art – phenomena that shows up in the field of cultural and aesthetic production?.

What if the dominating value system in Norway legitimates all actions that fight Odd Nerdrum. Immanuel Kant, the State and actors fight him as their mission and as the only way in reproducing its existence. The good vs. the evil.

A producer that wants to paint as Rembrandt – is that morally wrong?? Or is Odd Nerdrum morally wrong? Has Art really to do with morals? Has Art nothing to do with the sphere of autonomity that claims itself of being making its own rules, as the art – critics claim exist? Is originality and autonomity just a big myth that will expose the crimes done by the Art World? Is the story about the original artist only a devoted moralist? An agent devoted to duties – an agent being a pietistic savior? Can principles and values really move and shrugge the world? Who is John Galt?

Odd Nerdrum has fought really hard for his talent, as much he has fought in keeping it. In being true to himself he found out that he has been sailing under the false flag as an artist for far too long. Instead he realized that he was a true craftsman who paints archetypes with timeless and everlasting technique of the true old masters.25 years after he got his nickname in Düsseldorf, Nerdrum acknowledged that he was a real Kitsch painter.

Kitsch: the ethical and moral evil in the value system of the Arts.