Kjell Nupen

During his time at Staatliche Kunstakademie in Düsseldorf, he embraced the idea, so present at the academy, that art should mean something.

(Paintings from this time: Situation (Ulrike M), from 1976 and Fargelagt idyll from 1979) This has resulted in a few symbols he has immersed himself in over the years, such as: The boat (endless journey), Car wrecks (Nature morte), Eagle in flight, Tree trunks (Homestead), Lighthouse (Sentimental journey), and the Munch moon (Homage to Edvard Munch).

His references to Edvard Munch, Matisse, and Eadweard Muybridge can be seen in many of his paintings (Homage to E.M., Interiør, eksteriør and Flygende over vann) He became especially known for the colour Nupen blue.

Though Kjell Nupen did see himself as a painter first and foremost, he worked with many different mediums such as granite, ceramic, glass, steel and bronze.

Besides having many exhibitions in and outside Norway, he has done several major projects in the public, such as: Otterdalsparken in Kristiansand (also called Nupenparken), Silkeborg Danmark, Statoil Stavanger, Søm Church in Kristiansand, Ansgarkapellet in Kristiansand, Geilo Kulturkirke in Geilo, Olsvik Church in Bergen, Telemark sykehus in Porsgrunn, the town hall in Viborg in Denmark in cooperation with Gallery NB in Viborg, which he had cooperated with since 1998.