GERHARD MELING
1945 - 2013
Gerhard Meling was born in Haugesund, Norway on April 15, 1945.
He spent his childhood in England and Port Said Egypt where his father worked as a maritime pilot in the Suez Canal. At a young age the family moved to New York, and they lived there for several years.
Meling was educated at the well established J & R Lamb Studios in New Jersey, as a stained glass painter. He installed several works around the USA, including installations in the United Nations Building and Rockefeller Center, New York.
To avoid being drafted in the Vietnam war, Gerhard returned to Norway and lived with his grandparents in Avaldsnes, Karmøy. He started his own stained glass studio, and at the age of 27 he restored the windows of the ancient Olav church at Avaldsnes, Karmøy.
After some years he changed medium and started to work on canvas. He studied the ocean and human faces, which led to marine paintings and portraits together with abstract, geometric paintings inspired by his work in lead framed, stained glass.
In 1971 Gerhard met Anne-Grete Aarebrot, who would become his wife and lifelong partner.
They moved to Copenhagen to study art, then to Paris to study further.
In January 1973, they got married and had a separate exhibition in Paris the same year. He received excellent reviews and was featured in several art magazines.
In Paris they met Vallobra, a renowned philosopher and art critic, and grandson of the famous author, journalist and art critic, Paul Alexis. He was positive to the impressionists when other critics butchered them, and has been perpetuated by famous artists like Paul Cezanne, Renoir and Monet, to mention some.
Vallobra became a close friend and a mentor. He visited the Melings many times in Skjold, Norway.
In 1973, Gerhard received his first award, presented by the mayor of Brussels.
In August the next year, their first son, Gerhard Tomin was born. During the next decade the Melings moved between Brussels, Paris, England and Skjold-Norway. After a stay in Cairo, their second son, Einar Alexander was born.
In 1986 to 1987, the Meling family lived in New York and Gerhard had a very productive year. At the end of the stay, Benjamin Vallobra was conceived and he was born in June 1988, to complete the family.
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Gerhard and Anne Grete at Christo´s Atlier in Soho New York
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In the summer of 1989 the Melings travelled to Spain, which they immediately liked and would eventually decide to live there for long periods of time.
Gerhard was always exploring new art forms and continually experimenting. It was in Spain he developed the ingenious idea of painting on cubes which would be rotated to form new combinations.
Back in Norway he ordered 54 sets of wooden cubes 5 X 5cm. All together 486 cubes. But what was to be the subject? After much thought and discussion, the subject became no less than the History of the World.
DISCUBERY, as it became known, is a unique artwork which illustrates the world history in six epochs, from ancient times to the present.
Each image is represented by nine cubes, all together there is 324 historical motives. The number of 5 X 5cm cube faces painted is 2916.
In 2012, Gerhard had his last international exhibition in Philadelphia. After a month he and Anne-Grete returned to Norway where Gerhard was diagnosed with terminal cancer. In the last two years of his life he was constantly at his easel, maintaining that painting was the best therapy.
He died in his home in Skjold, October 2013.
He was a proud and honest artist, his eternal quest for truth and beauty pervades in a manner seldom seen in contemporary art.
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​Awards:
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"Palmes d' Or du Merit Belgo- Hispanique" Beskytter Dronning Fabiola, Bruxelles -73
"Knight of the Societe d' Encouragement au Progress", Medalle d' Honneur", Bruxelles 73
"L' Ordre de Chevalier au 4eme Grade du Merite Belgo-Hispanique", Paris -74
" Grand Prix Humanitaire de France", Medalle d'Argent", Paris -75
"Palme d'Or au Grade de Chevallier", Paris Critique, L'Academie des Art de Paris, Paris -75
"L'Academie des Sciences Humanistes Etas-Unis du Mexique (Mexico) et la Republique Dominicaine", Medalle d'Or, Paris -75
"Diploma Osaka", Sony Tower, Osaka Japan, -78, and -79
"Prix du Rubens", Herdenkingsmedalie Pieter Paul Rubens of Antwerpen, Belgia -78
"Nomina di Academico con Medalle d'Oro", Italia -79
"Nomina du Academico d'Europe per le sua Attivita Culturale e Proffesionale", Frankrike -83
"International Art Society", Sølvmedalje, US, New York -80
"Diploma di nomina di Academico d'Europe per le sua Attiva Culturale e Proffesionale", Paris -83
"International Parlament", Gull Medalje, USA -83
"Entro Studi Ericerche l'Accademico d'Eurora Diploma di nomina", Italia -83
"Statue of Victory for Cultural and Proffesional Zeal", Italia-84
"Oscar d'Italy", Merito Cultura y Artistico Europeo, Grand Premio, Italia-85
Sølv Medalje fra CEEI, Frankrike -86
"Debute d'Republique de Montmatre", Pavillion Dauphine, Montmatre, Paris -87
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Vallobra (Consul de la République de Montmatre Bruxelles), Anne Grete, Gerhard Meling,
Jan Berstad (manager Meling) and Maria Klein.
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Exhibition:
The Gallery, Tenafly, New Jersey -68
Haugesund Kunstforening, sammen med Inger Sitter, Haugesund, Norge -72
Galleri Marcel Bernheim, Offisielt åpnet av den norske Ambassadør, Hersleb Vogt, Paris -73
Galleri Holberg, Oslo 76, -78.
Festival International de Peinture et D'Art Grafique-Plastique, Bruxelles -73, Paris -74, -75, -77, -78. Barcelona, Spania -76, Mallorca -79, -89. Venezia -83, Roma -85, -86.
Salón d'Independance, Grand Palais, Paris -74, -77.
Galleri Tkim-Quyimh, Paris -78.
International Festival Osaka, Japan -78, -79, -80.
Annen Etasjen, Haugesund Norge, -79.
Ukrainian Institute of Americs Inc, New York -80
The Bedford Art Gallery, Bruxelles, Belgia -80
Galleri Stavanger, Norge -80
Le Novoux Humoriste Festival, Paris -83
Galleri Siverts, Bergen -84.
Festspillene i Bergen, Mortmannshaven i Bergen, åpnet av President for Paris-kritikerne, Maria Klein og Consul d'Republique de Montmatre, Vallobra. Norge -88. Innslag på NRK nyheter.
Festival D'Art en Espania, Palma de Mallorca, Spania -89
Casa Cultura, Alfas del Pi, Spania -91
Museum Vallobra, Bruxelles -93
Høvleriet, Haugesund, Norge -96
Skude Galleri, Haugesund, Norge -99
Borgøydagene, Borgøy, Norge -99
The Candid Art Trust, London -2001
Gravers Lane Gallery, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, USA 2012
Galleri Bien, Oslo Norge 2012
Haugesund, Norway 2018
Books and magazins:
Apollo Defenseur des Art, Bruxelles og Paris, -73-88
NTB -73
Le Peintre, Paris -73
La Revue Moderne, Paris -74
Les Nouvelles Litteraires, Paris -75
Aftenposten, Oslo, Norge -76
L'Art Contemporain et l'Art Contamporain et l'Art Fantastique, Bruxelles -77
L'Etre et Pairtrete, Bruxelles, -77
Art Review Today, US -76, -78
MAA International Review of the Arts, US -77
Reportasje i FR3, Television Francais
Aftenposten, Oslo, Norge -78
Annuaire deL'Art International, -78, -79
Dictionary of Contemporary European Artists, Italia -82
Contemporary Personalities, Italia -83
Bergens Tidene, Norge -83
International Book of Honour, USA, -84
Man of Achievment, Cambridge, England, -84
The International Who's Who of Intellectuals, England -84
Norsk Kunst Leksikon, -84
Stavanger Aftenblad, Norge -85
NRK Radio, Oslo -83, -85
5000 Personalities of the World, USA, -86
The International Book of Honour, USA 86
Philadelphia Inquirer 2012
German Town Telegraph 2012
Gravers Lane Local 2012
Aftenposten og Aftenposten Kunstmagasin 2012
