Ann Beate Tempelhaug (b. 1951, Mosjøen, Norway) is a sculptor, painter, and ceramic artist whose career spans more than three decades. Educated in Arts and Crafts at the University of Bergen, she is acclaimed for her large-scale ceramic works, freely shaped and sculpted, then entirely hand-painted across their surfaces and edges. Her practice reflects a deep curiosity for colour, form, and the fleeting moments of everyday life, translating them into contemplative works that bridge memory, landscape, and lived experience. As she remarks, echoing Per Kirkeby, “Landscapes are always about beauty and death. By taking the landscape as inspiration, my work connects to my own life and my memories.”
Tempelhaug has exhibited widely in Norway and internationally. Recent solo exhibitions include KRAFT Gallery (Bergen), Bomuldsfabriken (Arendal), Kunstpunkt Lista, TID Gallery (Mandal), Agder Art Center, and Arteriet Gallery (Kristiansand). She has also participated in notable group exhibitions with FORMAT Gallery (Oslo). In 2023, Spazio Nobile presented her first solo show with the gallery, Nord, followed by her second solo exhibition in Milan at Fondazione Officine Saffi.
Her works are part of major Norwegian collections, including the National Museum in Oslo and the art museums of Bergen, Trondheim, and Kristiansand. She has been awarded significant public and private commissions for institutions such as the municipalities of Risør and Vestnes, the Universities of Kristiansand and Bergen, and several care centres across Nøtterøy, Tangvall, and Kristiansand. Over the course of her career, she has received numerous national grants, including the National Art Scholarship, support from the Art and Craft Foundation, project funds from the Norwegian Fine Art Association, and most recently, the prestigious five-year National Art Grant. Tempelhaug will hold a solo exhibition at Kunstnerforbundet in Oslo in fall 2026.
Since 2020, Ann Beate Tempelhaug has been represented by Spazio Nobile Gallery (Brussels).
Ann Beate Tempelhaug: Scaling Upwards
