Galleri Østfløyen

Egeberg did not leave behind any indication of his intentions with his thousands of photographs, meticulously mounted in albums. The information accompanying the images mostly consists of dates, locations, and occasionally, names of individuals.

The selection of photographs in the exhibition is based on their aesthetic dimension, showcasing a total of 64 photographs.

Westye P. Egeberg was a passionate photographer. The images are compiled in albums, which serve as the landowner's biography in the form of pictures. The exhibition focuses on a small selection that primarily aims to demonstrate that Westye P. Egeberg had a perspective on his surroundings that went beyond merely documenting events; it shows that he had an appreciation for both seriousness and humor.

Several of his portrayals of people verge on the caricatural, while others offer an intimate glimpse into a social sphere that most did not have access to, neither then nor now. At times, he imbued his subjects with a twist that borders on the surreal. He was particularly fascinated by animals, landscapes, technical devices, as well as hunting, skiing, and sailing. Bogstad Manor plays a minor role as a motif in the exhibition selection. Westye P. Egeberg emerges as a bon vivant, gentleman, and cosmopolitan, traveling around Europe and North Africa with a camera in hand.

The focus is on the aesthetics of the images, and we let Westye P. Egeberg's pictures interact with a small selection of photographs by some of our most established photographers; Mette Tronvoll, Signe Marie Andersen, Eline Mugaas, Per Maning, and Per Berntsen. The images are chosen to demonstrate that the type of amateur photography practiced by Westye P. Egeberg has been just as significant for contemporary artistic photography as the part of photography considered art around 1900.

The exhibition is part of Bogstad's series of exhibitions that emphasize Bogstad's role as a collection of art, albeit not contemporary art. At Bogstad, visitors can encounter outstanding European and Norwegian art in the form of paintings and decorations from the period when Bogstad was established as an estate. Similar to previous art exhibitions held in the Galleri Østfløyen, the connection to the present day is drawn.

In conjunction with the exhibition, Bogstad is also releasing a photobook designed by the award-winning designer Aslak Gurholt, featuring a text by Professor Emeritus in Art History at the University of Oslo, Øivind Storm Bjerke. It reproduces all of Westye P. Egeberg's images from the exhibition in their original format as they appear in the albums. The book is included in the ticket price but can also be purchased separately.