Objects of the Elements: The Art of Elsa Thoresen

A long-time Seattle resident later in life, Surrealist artist Elsa Thoresen (1906-1994) has gone surprisingly uncelebrated in the city she called home. Mentioned in notable European showcases, her works as well as her history (particularly from her time in the United States) became shrouded in mystery — until now.

This winter, Cascadia Art Museum presents the first-ever American exhibition of the works of Elsa Thoresen. The exhibition displays her pieces within the context of her history, from Minnesota, Oslo, Sweden and the salons of Europe in the 1930s and 40s, to Washington.

Thoresen’s father, a Norwegian immigrant, was a practicing physician in Seattle at the turn of the century before relocating to Minnesota, where Elsa was born. After the family moved to Oslo, Norway in 1920, Elsa attended art school where she met the Danish artist Vilhelm Bjerke-Petersen (1909-1957), a fellow student. The couple pursued their art education and married in Copenhagen in 1935.

Thoresen and her husband were at the forefront of the Surrealist movement in Scandinavia and were included in numerous important exhibitions throughout Europe. After relocating to Sweden in 1944 due to the Nazi occupation of Denmark, Elsa continued to develop a unique personal visual language based on natural forms such as driftwood and fantasy landscapes.

Elsa relocated to Seattle in 1954. Although she had tremendous success as a Surrealist abroad, the paintings she produced in the Northwest are lyrical, biomorphic abstractions, which she produced until her death in 1994. Cascadia Art Museum takes visitors through each step of this experimental and lifelong artistic journey.

A small exhibition of paintings and ceramics by Vilhelm Bjerke-Petersen will also be featured in the museum’s West Gallery.

Discover the art of the Northwest at Cascadia Art Museum. Learn more at www.cascadiaartmuseum.org.