Behind-the-Scene Tours
Join us for one of this year's Behind-the-Scene tours, all taking place in Oslo. Tours are included in the Technical Registration fees. The 2023 tours will be posted on this page as they are confirmed. Tour registration forms will be sent to all registrants following the early registration deadline. Sign up is first come, first served.
All tours take place on Wednesday 21 June. Exact times and locations will be indicated on the tour registration form.
Confirmed Tours
Conservation Studio
MUNCH is a vibrant art museum built for great experiences. With 11 galleries, we will offer a range of approaches to Edvard Munch’s art and life, as well as works by other Modernist and contemporary artists in dialogue Munch. Our permanent displays are drawn from our collection, and for the first time these works will really have the space they deserve. Munch’s monumental works, the largest paintings he ever created, can be experienced in a specially designed double-height gallery.
The tour takes participants into the museums conservation studio, to learn how the museum preserves our unique inheritance from Edvard Munch.
Time/Participants: 45 minutes; Limited to 12 participants
Museum of Cultural History
The Museum of Cultural History is responsible for a unique collection of Scandinavian cultural heritage, including pre-reformation artifacts and world-famous Viking Age burial finds. It is also home to an extensive coin collection and an ethnographic assemblage with artefacts from around the world. The museum is Norway’s leading research museum in the field of cultural history and provides services in excavation, scientific analysis, digital imaging, and 3D capture.
The tour takes participants through the SciCult facilities, the photography studios, and 3D digitization laboratories where they learn about how the museum is applying spectroscopic and spectrometric techniques, along with high resolution photography, photogrammetry, and structured light scanning in the study, documentation, and dissemination of these unique artifacts.
Time/Participants: 1.5 hours; Limited to 10 participants
National Library of Norway
The National Library will showcase two areas, discussing conservation and digitization practice at the National Library of Norway.
For the study and conservation treatment of books, manuscripts, photographs, prints, maps, etc., conservators will discuss the Video Spectral Comparator (VSC-8000) and the Micro Fading Tester (MFT), which are used to investigate characteristics and reveal undiscovered information in supports, media, and manufacturing technologies. Participants will also learn about the National Library digitization strategy with regards to image quality and digital archiving.
Time/Participants: 1.5 hours; Limited to 20 participants (Note: participants will be divided into 2 groups of 10. The first group will start with a discussion of digitization strategies and the second will begin in the conservation area. The groups will then switch after 45 minutes.)
The National Museum of Art, Architecture, and Design
Departments of Conservation and Photography
The National Museum is the Nordic region's largest art museum and is responsible for the acquisition, conservation, research, exhibition, and communication of Norway's largest collection of art, architecture and design. The new museum building opened on 11 June 2022 and covers a total of 53,000 square meters, of which 13,000 square meters is allocated to permanent and temporary exhibitions. The museum's collections consist of more than 400,000 works of art.
On this tour, participants have the opportunity to the visit the new purpose-built conservation and photography studios and to gain an insight into the new facilities, specialized equipment, and collaborative working environment.
Department of photography:The department of photography has 4 studios: A large studio for the photographic documentation of paintings with a bespoke motorized easel for high resolution imaging. A large studio for the photographic documentation of
3-dimensional works of art, such as installations, sculptures, and costumes. A smaller studio for smaller objects such as glass, ceramics, jewelry, and design pieces. And a studio for photography of artworks on paper.
Department of conservation: The department of conservation and its studios are organized according to the following material specialties: paintings, frames, furniture, works of art on paper, textiles, objects, sculpture, and time-based media. Digital X-Ray, micro-fading, and digital microscopy (Hirox) are amongst some of the new technical facilities that will be presented.
After the tour, all participants will receive free entry to the permanent & temporary exhibitions.
Time/Participants: 1.5 hours; Limited to 30 participants (Note: participants will be divided into 2 groups of 15. The first group will start the tour in the photographic studios and the second in the conservation studios. The groups will then switch after 45 minutes.)