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.

A beautiful new gift art book all about Edvard Munch, the Norwegian artist behind the first truly Expressionist picture The Scream. Absorbed by such motifs as love, life, death and anguish, Munch’s paintings captured the psychological feelings evoked by man. Beginning with a fresh and captivating introduction to Munch’s life and art, the book showcases several of his works in all their glory.

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.

."..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.

Scandinavia's most famous painter, the Norwegian Edvard Munch (1863-1944), is probably best known for his painting The Scream, a universally recognized icon of terror and despair. (A version was stolen from the Munch Museum in Oslo, Norway, in August 2004, and has not yet been recovered.) But Munch considered himself a writer as well as a painter. Munch began painting as a teenager and, in his young adulthood, studied and worked in Paris and Berlin, where he evolved a highly personal style in paintings and works on paper. And in diaries that he kept for decades, he also experimented with reminiscence, fiction, prose portraits, philosophical speculations, and surrealism. Known as an artist who captured both the ecstasies and the hellish depths of the human condition, Munch conveys these emotions in his diaries but also reveals other facets of his personality in remarks and stories that are alternately droll, compassionate, romantic, and cerebral. This English translation of Edvard Munch's private diaries, the most extensive edition to appear in any language, captures the eloquent lyricism of the original Norwegian text. The journal entries in this volume span the period from the 1880s, when Munch was in his twenties, until the 1930s, reflecting the changes in his life and his work. The book is illustrated with fifteen of Munch's drawings, many of them rarely seen before. While these diaries have been excerpted before, no translation has captured the real passion and poetry of Munch's voice. This is a translation that lets Munch speak for himself and evokes the primal passion of his diaries. J. Gill Holland's exceptional work adds a whole new level to our understanding of the artist and the depth of his scream.

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.

Published on the occasion of the exhibition, "Edvard Munch: The Frieze of Life," National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 13 October 2004 - 12 January 2005.

"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.

A renowned expert on Edvard Munch delivers this wonderfully illustrated volume on the life and work of the great artist. Edvard Munch’s paintings have maintained their captivating hold on audiences for over one hundred years, with The Scream being among the most recognizable and distinct works of modern art. In this accessible guide to the artist, art historian Oystein Ustvedt tells the story of how Munch became one of the most celebrated artists in the world. Ustvedt conducts a thorough visual analysis of Munch’s paintings, examining how he painted emotions in a way that had not been seen before and unpacking why his images have remained so significant. This study is paired with a revealing discussion of Munch’s turbulent life—from a childhood marked by the death of his mother and sister, to his adult life spent in France and Germany, as well as the mysterious saga that left Munch with a gunshot wound after a breakup. Full of rarely seen images from Munch’s archive, as well as fascinating insight into his life and work, Edvard Munch presents a welcome opportunity to get to know Norway’s most famous artist.