Edvard Munch's life at the Staatsgalerie in Stuttgart

War, loneliness, fear: Edvard Munch’s life is in the center of the new exhibition at the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart. The show comprises about 60 works by the Norwegian painter and graphic artist (1863-1944)  – on view until October 6.

Also included in the show “Edvard Munch in Stuttgart. From the First Kiss to Death“ is a unique paper print of “The Scream“ on violet paper. Some of his works are displayed in different versions. “He was never done with a motif,“ explains Corinna Höper, the curator of the show. One of the four versions of the painting “The Scream“ was sold at auction in New York for almost $120 million (about €90 million) in 2012. The previous owner of the artwork has written a sentence from Munch’s diary on the back side of the displayed print quoting the famous words: “I stood there trembling with anxiety – and I sensed an infinite scream passing through nature.” – explaining the genesis of the motif.

Personal notes by Munch can be discovered more frequently in the exhibition. Munch has bequeathed 1500 letters and about 12.000 pages with literary and personal notes. “Munch speaks for himself. This is one of the reasons why we have included these documents,“ said Corinna Höper. There is also information about Munch’s visit in Stuttgart in 1923, and his correspondence with Otto Fischer, the director of the Museum at that time.

Woman With Red Hair And Green Eyes. The Sin, 1902. photo: Marijan Murat