Munch’s concern with profound emotions and fears such as loneliness and love, and his facing of the reality of death, led to uncompromising and compelling imagery. Growth and decay, creation and destruction were his themes, evoked in multifarious ways. Munch continually overstepped the traditional boundaries between painting and printmaking, often employing photography as well. As early as the fin de siècle, his unconventional handling of motifs and materials anticipated advances in twentieth-century art to come.

Approximately 130 paintings, 80 drawings and prints from every phase of the artist’s career will be on view. This will make the show one of the largest Munch exhibitions ever held outside Norway.

The Riehen exhibition brings together loans from numerous American and European museums, and in addition to Munch’s major works, presents for the first time a large number of previously unavailable private loans. The exhibition is curated by Dieter Buchhart, in collaboration with Christoph Vitali, Ulf Küster and Philippe Büttner.