The search for beauty, utility and comfort and a certain element of exhibitionistic luxury are essentials of Modernism, as found in the interiors of bourgeois housing.
Together with architects, carpenter-decorators became a fashionable profession, receiving commissions from the bourgeois and concerning themselves with the furniture design and decoration of the houses; a reflection of the tastes of the time and the new way of living. Gaspar Homar and Joan Busquets are two outstanding examples of this profession. The Museu Nacional d´Art de Catalunya holds a notable range their work, both projects and furniture.

This exhibition presents a representative selection of English fabrics from the MAK Collection of Textiles and Carpets. These textiles were purchased in England for the museum and presented to the Viennese public while they were still new. Hence, Vienna´s artists and tradespeople got to know and took inspiration from these innovative, English-designed products even prior to 1900, as is shown prominently in the new Vienna 1900 exhibit of the MAK Permanent Collection. The best-known English designers of their era, figures including William Morris, Walter Crane and Charles F. A. Voysey, are represented in this showing by fabric and wallpaper designs characterized above all by generously dimensioned repeat patterns as well as patterns derived from plants and flowers.

Curator Barbara Karl, Curator, MAK Textiles and Carpets Collection

In 2013 all of Norway is celebrating the 150th anniversary of the birth of Edvard Munch (1863-1944), one of the towering figures of modern art.

The exhibition "Munch 150", co-hosted by the National Museum and the Munch Museum, is the most ambitious presentation of Munch´s art ever, and with 220 paintings it displays the greatest number of Munch´s key works in modern times. Highlights of the exhibition include near-complete reconstructions of The Frieze of Life (1902) and The Reinhardt Frieze (1906-1907). One of the aims of the exhibition is to inspire visitors to discover "their own Munch" as an ever experimenting, innovative, and relevant artist.

"Munch 150" is shown in to two venues: Works from 1882-1903 are displayed in the National Gallery and works from 1904-1944 in the Munch Museum.

Curators: Nils Ohlsen, Mai Britt Guleng and Jon Ove Steihaug

"Alphonse Mucha: An Insight into the Artist" is a major retrospective featuring over 240 works, including many that have never been shown in Japan before, alongside a wide range of oil paintings, studies, sketches, jewellery and posters from the Mucha family collection.

The exhibition will explore the artistic vision and ideals behind Mucha's works. Through his own words and works, visitors will gain an insight into his creative process, his ambitions and his achievements.

The exhibition will be organised in six sections representing important themes or phases in his career:

- Mucha the Czech
- Sarah Bernhardt & the Theatre World
- Le Style Mucha & Art Nouveau
- The Message of Beauty
- Paris 1900
- Visions for Humanity

Rare works such as a satin-silk edition of The Arts series, comprised of 4-colour lithographs: Dance, Painting, Poetry and Music will feature in the show.

This exhibition will be a great opportunity for all Mucha fans and art lovers to deepen their understanding of Mucha and his inner world.