ISBN Edvard Munch book 256 pages

Edvard Munch occupies a pivotal place in artistic modernity. His work is permeated by a singular vision of the world, with a powerful symbolist dimension that goes beyond the masterpieces he created in the 1890s, and which gives his art a great coherence. For Munch, humanity and nature were united in the cycle of life, death and rebirth, which is reflected in the unending recurrence of certain motifs and colour combinations in his work. He wrote: ‘These paintings, which are, admittedly, relatively difficult to understand, will be […] easier to grasp if they are integrated into a whole.’

Published to accompany the major exhibition at the Musée d’Orsay, Edvard Munch: A Poem of Life, Love and Death presents about a hundred works – paintings, drawings, prints and engraved blocks – reflecting the diversity of Munch’s practice. Seven essays explore the artist in his philosophical and scientific milieu and the places that shaped the man and his art, as well as offering a rare glimpse of Munch’s attempts at creative writing. They also examine the historical evolution of his monumental Frieze of Life series and the world-famous Scream.

This publication invites readers to revisit the painter’s work in its entirety by following the thread of an ever-inventive pictorial thinking: a vision that is both fundamentally coherent, even obsessive, and at the same time constantly renewed.

About the Author
Christophe Leribault is director of the Musée d'Orsay, Paris. ClaireBernardi is head of the Musée de l’Orangerie, Paris. Øystein Ustvedthas published widely on Munch, including Edvard Munch: An InnerLife, also published by Thames & Hudson. Pierre Wat is Professor ofart history at the University of Paris I. Trine Otte Bak Nielsen is a curator at the Munch Museum, Oslo. Ingrid Junillon is director of the exhibitions department at the Fabre Museum, Montpellier. Patricia Gray Berman is Theodora L. and Stanley H. Feldberg Professor of Art at Wellesley College. Hilde Bøe is Digital Collection Manager at the MunchMuseum.