Edvard Munch

A profound portrayal of Edvard Munch’s radical and individual modernism, giving new insights into seemingly familiar work.

Edvard Munch (1863–1944) was one of the pioneers of modern art. His works revolve around the great human tragedies of love and death, which the intrepid founder of Expressionism varied with a previously unseen psychological immediacy in his visual language.

This book focuses on the significance of Munch’s oeuvre as a highly independent contribution to modern art. Including over 130 paintings, as well as 85 drawings and prints, this is the first publication to shed light on the disappearance and re-creation of the motif in the context of material-based modernity. This fundamental theme was explored in terms of motif and materials used: for instance, the artist not only integrated the role of coincidence by exposing his works to the elements, but also the notion of natural decay as components in his creative process. In the waning nineteenth century Munch set the stage for the twentieth by decisively crossing over the boundaries between the genres of painting and printmaking, in his work with photography and film, and through his emphasis on processes.