Bonhams to Sell Rieber Collection of Scandinavian Art in London October Sale
The Facts
Bonhams will offer the private collection of Scandinavian art formed by Norwegian collectors Iwona and Bjarne Rieber in a single-owner sale titled 'Northern Light: Important Works from the Bjarne & Iwona Rieber Collection' on Tuesday, October 27, at Bonhams New Bond Street in London. The sale is led by a group of prints by Edvard Munch, including 'Two Women on the Shore' (estimate £500,000–700,000), 'Vampire II' (£200,000–300,000), and 'On the Waves of Love' (£70,000–100,000). Other highlights include Harald Sohlberg's 'Fra Værvågen, aften' (£400,000–600,000) and works by Nikolai Astrup, Michael Ancher, Frits Thaulow, and Erik Werenskiold. Bjarne Rieber, a prominent Norwegian businessman who died in 2025, and his wife Iwona founded the Iwona and Bjarne Rieber Charitable Foundation (IBRAS) in 2006, supporting arts, culture, and science in Norway and internationally. The collection is being offered by Iwona Rieber. Highlights will tour internationally prior to the sale, including stops in Copenhagen, Oslo, and Stockholm.
The Signal
The sale brings together a coherent group of Nordic masterworks, offering collectors a rare opportunity to acquire pieces with strong institutional provenance. The presence of multiple Munch prints with estimates reaching £700,000 signals sustained demand for the artist's graphic work, a market segment that has seen notable growth among both private collectors and museums. The inclusion of works by Sohlberg and other Nordic landscape painters reflects a deepening global interest in Scandinavian art beyond Munch, a trend that auction houses have been cultivating through dedicated sales. For collectors of regional schools, the Rieber name carries philanthropic and connoisseurial credibility, which may enhance bidding confidence and premium expectations.
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- Artists: Edvard Munch, Harald Sohlberg, Michael Ancher, Nikolai Astrup, Erik Theodor Werenskiold, Frits Thaulow
- People: Iwona Rieber, Bjarne Rieber, Peter Rees, Carolin von Massenbach
- Auction Houses: Bonhams
- Locations: London, Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm
- Prices: £500,000, £700,000, £200,000, £300,000, £70,000, £100,000, £400,000, £600,000, £50,000, £60,000, £80,000, £150,000
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