Edvard Munch is not only Norway's most adored painter, but also one of the most famous artists in the history of art. His worldwide fame can undoubtedly be owed to his work The Scream, which has been copied, reinterpreted and used so often that the anguished character is today engraved in the collective memory. Munch's original paintings are exhibited in the world's greatest museums, such as the Munch Museum in Oslo and the Tate Modern in London, and are scarce finds in auction rooms.
See also: The 10 Most Famous Works of Art and Where to Find Them
Munch's work explores the human psyche in the modern era, particularly the themes of mortality, loneliness, anxiety and depression, before transiting into symbolic naturalism with a use of rich colors and of raw scenes. From the 1930s, he was considered ‘degenerate’ by the Nazis, who seized his art. Munch, however, managed to hide many of his works at his home in Norway, before his death in 1944.
Here are five facts to know about the prolific artist:
1. Munch had other plans for his future
Munch originally wanted to become an architect. The artist left his architectural studies at Kristiania Technical University (now Oslo) after only one year, in order to pursue his new professional aspiration: painting.
2. A tragic source of inspiration
The source of inspiration for Munch’s work The Sick Child was his sister. The artist’s older sister, Sophie, died of tuberculosis in 1877. About seven years later, Munch painted the first version of The Sick Child, which was followed by three more paintings that took up the melancholic subject matter.
See also: 10 Artists Between Genius and Madness
3. A global auction record
The 1895 version of The Scream became the most expensive work at auction in 2012. The sale held that year at Sotheby's in New York recorded the price of $120 million for the painting, which granted it the most expensive title in the world. This was dethroned the following year by Three Studies of Lucian Freud by Francis Bacon for $142 million.
See also: The 12 Most Expensive Paintings Ever Auctioned
4. Two thefts
Two of the four versions of The Scream have been stolen. In 1994, the 1893 version was stolen from the National Gallery in Oslo, and in 2004, the 1910 version disappeared from the Munch Museum in Oslo. Fortunately, the two works have since been recovered and returned to their exhibition sites.
5. Sickness
Edvard Munch generally portrayed himself in Expressionist and melancholic works as a tormented soul. At the start of the 20th century, he suffered from severe alcohol problems and mental illness, which prompted him to seek professional help.
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This is an updated version of an article originally published on 28 August 2020.
