Image: Permanenten, Bergen
Kode will devote a 15-minute Kunstkvarter presentation in Bergen to a glass carafe by Émile Gallé, a key figure in French art nouveau. The event, titled ‘Kunstkvarter: Émile Gallé and Talking Glass’, will take place on 2 September 2026 from 16:00 to 16:15 at Permanenten, with the presentation meeting at Rasmus Meyer.
Curator Morten Spjøtvold will discuss the carafe as part of the mini-exhibition ‘Expo 1900’. The object was acquired for Kode’s collection at the 1900 Paris Exhibition, linking the work directly to the international event whose design culture helped establish the period’s visual language.
Gallé (1845–1904) was based in Nancy, in northeastern France. According to Kode’s event material, he was among the first artists to redefine glass as an artistic medium rather than merely a material for functional objects. He is also regarded by the institution as one of the most important representatives of French art nouveau and as Europe’s best-known glass artist in the years around 1900.
The presentation takes its theme from Gallé’s concept of ‘talking glass’. In this approach, the form of a glass object draws on a literary quotation or text, allowing the work’s design to communicate beyond its practical use. Kode describes Gallé’s work more broadly through its beauty, poetry and technical brilliance, while presenting the carafe’s history as the focus of the Kunstkvarter session.
Kunstkvarter is a recurring format built around a concentrated examination of one artwork and one theme. The event page identifies Spjøtvold as the curator for the presentation and notes that places are limited, with advance reservation recommended. The standard adult admission is 200 Norwegian kroner; Kode members and children may attend free of charge. The ticket also provides access to all Kode museums for the day.
The event forms part of Kode’s autumn programme of collection-based interpretation. On the following evening, 3 September, Spjøtvold is scheduled to give a separate presentation in the ‘Frem fra magasinet’ series, also at Permanenten. That one-hour event will examine Norwegian glass production from 1945 to 1970, including K-glass and Hadeland services such as Siri and Grønland, alongside designers Willy Johansson, Herman Bongard and Arne Jon Jutrem. It is a distinct programme from the Gallé presentation and carries an admission fee of 50 kroner.
The Gallé Kunstkvarter is scheduled for Wednesday, 2 September 2026, from 16:00 to 16:15 at Permanenten in Bergen.
