Bjarne Melgaard in Nordic Noir Group show at the British Museum

Featuring over 150 works by 100 artists from the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden), Nordic noir opens with two important prints by Edvard Munch (1863–1944), arguably the most famous artist to emerge from the Nordic region and explores how the graphic arts continued to flourish and evolve after his death. It includes the charming prints of the Norwegian colour woodcut school of the 1940s; Danish prints tackling post-war angst and the threat of the Cold War; and political art from the 1970s in the form of vibrant screenprints by the Norwegian GRAS (Grass) group.

The contemporary Nordic artists represented here delve into the world of Norse myth, struggles with mental health and political issues such as feminism or the rights of the Indigenous Sámi people. The dominant theme for many, however, is nature and the vital urgency to preserve the fjords, mountains and forests unique to the region.