NEW MUNCH TO OPEN 22 OCTOBER 2021

New MUNCH to open to the public on 22 October 2021 in Oslo

• · The new museum, designed by award-winning architecture practice estudio Herreros, will be one of the world’s largest museums dedicated to a single artist
• · 11 new exhibition halls will allow visitors to access the most extensive collection of works by Edvard Munch in the world, with over 26,700 works in the collection
• Highlights in the new museum will include monumental mural paintings including The Sun (1909), which stretches nearly 8 meters, as well as several versions of Munch’s iconic work, The Scream, including an early study in pastel from 1893 and a later painted version from 1910

At five times the size of the original building, the new MUNCH will allow visitors to experience the full range of Edvard Munch’s work across 13 floors. The museum boasts the world’s largest collection of Edvard Munch’s oeuvre, and the new structure will increase the exhibition areas fourfold with 26,313 square metres of new spaces to showcase highlights from the artist’s prolific career. Standing at over 57.4 metres, this new landmark places Edvard Munch, Norway’s most important artist, firmly at the centre of the city of Oslo.

Located on the edge of the Fjord, estudio Herreros created the new museum with the city of Oslo in mind. This new museum on the waterfront will transform the city’s skyline. The top floor opens up into an observation area, offering some of Oslo’s most spectacular views. The perforated, translucent aluminium façade reflects the changing colours and conditions of the Oslo skies. The new building has been created as a nod to Edvard Munch’s connection to the Norwegian landscape and his penchant for painting outside in all seasons.

With Oslo’s setting at the core of the project, sustainability is integral to the design. The new museum has been planned in accordance with FutureBuilt, an Oslo-wide initiative to halve greenhouse gas emissions across the city. Recycled materials have been used throughout the building, and the interior spaces are designed to conserve energy, reducing the museum’s carbon footprint significantly. Ensuring that powering the museum is as energy efficient as possible, estudio Herreros conceived of a building process and design that is in line with cutting-edge ethical building practices.

The new museum will be a fully accessible, vibrant venue, offering a wide-ranging programme of events and experiences for visitors of all ages with enhanced studio spaces. Research and conservation facilities will be accessible to the public, allowing visitors insight into the ongoing work taking place to preserve and celebrate Edvard Munch’s legacy. The programme of events will include concerts, literature readings, performance and art workshops, integrating the museum within the new cultural district of Bjørvika. Visitors can also enjoy a meal in the 13^th floor restaurant with views overlooking the city and Fjord.

THE COLLECTION

MUNCH’s collection, the core of which Edvard Munch donated to the city of Oslo upon his death, includes over half of Munch’s known works, including over 26,700 paintings, prints, photographs, drawings and watercolours by the artist, ranging from 1873 to 1944.

While Munch is best-known for The Scream,he also experimented with various media and techniques at the edge of modernism. In addition to the paintings, watercolours and woodblock prints for which he is best known, Munch bought a Kodak camera in 1902 and is recognised today as one of the first artists to experiment with self-portrait photography.

The museum’s collection also includes thousands of other items included in Edvard Munch’s original bequest to the city such as his printing plates and lithographic stones as well as thousands of letters and approximately 10,000 objects from his own personal belongings.

As well as allowing for greater opportunities to showcase Edvard Munch’s artworks, the new museum will also host major temporary exhibitions by both Norwegian and international artists, exploring Munch’s enduring influence on generations of artists that have followed.

OPENING PROGRAM

Tracey Emin / Edvard Munch: The Loneliness of the Soul
22 October 2021 - 2 January 2022

In her first major Scandinavian exhibition and the first exhibition to inaugurate the new museum, The Loneliness of the Soul will explore Edvard Munch’s influence on Tracey Emin and how his oeuvre has shaped her work over several decades.

Showcasing Emin’s enduring fascination with Munch, this exhibition, curated by Kari Brandtzæg, will allow for a dialogue between the two artists, with new works by Emin shown alongside pieces by Munch from the museum collection which Emin has personally selected.

The exhibition will focus on her work in painting, sculpture and neon text over the last decade, and will also include a selection of her early artworks, including My Bed (1998). Illustrating the profound impact that Munch’s artwork has had on Emin’s career, the exhibition will bring to light Munch’s relevance for leading artists working today.

For more information on the opening programme, please see  here

UPCOMING SHOWS

The Savage Eye

23.3.22-19.06.22

This exhibition focuses the relationship between Surrealism and some of the most important Symbolist artists, including Paul Gauguin, Odilon Redon, August Strindberg, Edvard Munch and Auguste Rodin. Honing in on the idea of the unconscious, we take visitors on a journey into the deeper levels of the human mind. Using various thematic perspectives and a range of media, the exhibition will cast new light on the immediate precursors to Surrealism. It will also show how Symbolist ideas and artistic modes of expression informed the work of some of the 20th century’s most important artists, including Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso and Louise Bourgeois.

Satyricon and Munch

12.2.22-8.5.22

The Norwegian black metal band Satyricon meets Edvard Munch’s art. The exhibition Satyricon & Munch explores the intersection of black metal and visual art, where a specially composed musical work is connected with a selection of Edvard Munch’s images. When visitors enter the large hall on MUNCH’s tenth floor, this exhibition will create an atmosphere that opens up new entrances to Edvard Munch’s work, and to Satyricon’s music. A release with photographer Morten Andersen will also be published in connection with the exhibition.

Stein Olav Henrichsen, Director of MUNCH, said: “This day is the day we have been looking forward to for so long. Now we can present what many have been waiting for, both the opening date and the exhibition shows for the first year. Finally, we can show what this building will add to the city and all the exciting things we will fill the new MUNCH with. We look forward to opening our doors on October 22nd.”

Juan Herreros, Lead Architect, estudio Herreros, said: “Greeting people at both day and night, MUNCH is a new reference point in Oslo’s skyline that gives locals and visitors an overview and orientation within the city, the surrounding mountains and the Oslo fjord. The Museum will help visitors to experience and learn about the history of the city, establishing a strong connection between the urban development of the city and the art of Edvard Munch.”