Edvard Munch

Biography

Edvard Munch grew up in Oslo and decided to become an artist at the age of 17. In 1881, he enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts, where he studied under Christian Krohg. He associated with radical bohemians and quickly became a controversial artist. Munch traveled extensively in Europe, visiting Paris and Berlin, where he painted several of his most important works, such as Despair, which is in the Thiel Collection. In the early 1900s, Munch's work gained popularity among art collectors, critics, and artists in Europe. After a stay at a psychiatric clinic in 1909, he returned to Norway. Munch's art evolved over time. He experimented with naturalism and impressionism as a youth before finding his own style with dissolved brushstrokes, simplified forms, and vibrant colors. Munch's motifs often explore the human psyche, with themes such as death, loneliness, anxiety, jealousy, and love. Munch influenced the emergence of German Expressionism, among other things. The Thiel Gallery has one of the largest collections of Munch's work outside Norway, with 12 oil paintings and almost 100 graphic prints.