The biography of the artist who created the most haunting icon of the twentieth century

This compelling book, focusing on more than 60 of Edvard Munch's later paintings, reveals the surprising, vibrant work of a fascinating man who never ceased to grow as an artist. 140 illustrations, 130 in full color.

Published to accompany an exhibition at the Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery, University of Glasgow from 12 June to 5 September 2009 and the National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin from 18 September to 6 December 2009.

This original volume juxtaposes the work of two artists: the South African-born, Netherlands-based painter Marlene Dumas (b. 1953) and the Norwegian artist Edvard Munch (1863-1944). Organized by Dumas, the project stems from her longstanding, personal connection to the works of Munch. The book focuses particularly on Munch's 1908-9 series of lithographs titled Alpha and Omega and on a new series of works by Dumas titled Venus et Adonis. Both series deal with themes of innocence, sexuality, loneliness, anxiety, and death, and each is structured around a love story. Through this book, Dumas shows us how she perceives Munch not simply as an emotional expressionist, but rather as an intelligent artist thoughtfully reflecting on human conditions in general. 00Exhibition: Munch Museum, Oslo, Norway (29.09.2018 ? 13.01.2019).

."..offers a comprehensive showcase of the celebrated Norwegian artist's pioneering and unique contributions to modern art, published on occasion of the 150th anniversary of his birth and the major exhibition Munch 150, being held in 2013 at the Munch-museet and Nasjonalgalleriet in Oslo, Norway"--P. [4] of cover.

"Two potent myths have traditionally defined our understanding of the artist Edvard Munch (1862-1944): he was mentally unstable, as his iconic work The Scream (1893) suggests, and he was radically independent, following his own singular vision. Becoming Edvard Munch: Influence, Anxiety, and Myth persuasively challenges these entrenched perceptions. In this book, Jay A. Clarke demonstrates that Munch was thoroughly in control of his artistic identity, a savvy businessman skilled in responding to the market and shaping popular opinion. Moreover, the author shows that Munch was keenly aware of the art world of his day, adopting motifs, styles, and techniques from a wide variety of sources, including many Scandinavian artists. By presenting Munch's paintings, prints, and drawings in relation to those of European contemporaries, including Harriet Backer, James Ensor, Vincent van Gogh, Max Klinger, Christian Krohg, and Claude Monet, Clarke reveals often surprising connections and influences. This interpretive approach, grounded in Munch's diaries and letters, period criticism, and the artworks themselves, reintroduces Munch as an artist who cultivated myths both visual and personal. Becoming Edvard Munch features beautiful color reproductions of approximately 150 works, including 75 paintings and 75 works on paper by Munch and his peers"--Book jacket.

In So Much Longing in So Little Space, Karl Ove Knausgaard explores the life and work of Edvard Munch. Setting out to understand the enduring power of Munch’s painting, Knausgaard reflects on the essence of creativity, on choosing to be an artist, experiencing the world through art and its influence on his own writing. As co-curator of a major new exhibition of Munch's work in Oslo, Knausgaard visits the landscapes that inspired him, and speaks with contemporary artists, including Vanessa Baird and Anselm Kiefer. Bringing together art history, biography and memoir, and drawing on ideas of truth, originality and memory, So Much Longing in So Little Space is a brilliant and personal examination of the legacy of one of the world’s most iconic painters, and a meditation on art itself.