“The Chrysler Museum of Art presents its first-ever exhibition of Edvard Munch’s iconic works in Edvard Munch and the Cycle of Life: Prints from the National Gallery of Art. The show consists of 50 prints, including The Scream and Madonna. It includes images Munch developed for his 1902 exhibition Frieze of Life, as well as the entire 1908–1909 series Alpha and Omega, his invented story of the first humans. The exhibition also offers Munch’s satirical look at his own life and failures at love. ‘The work of the Norwegian artist has come to symbolize the crisis of modern life. The Chrysler’s exhibition is an original concept that focuses on Munch’s career-long obsession with the theme of the cycle of life, from the seeds of love and the passing of love to anxiety and death,’ said Lloyd DeWitt, Ph.D., the Chrysler’s chief curator and Irene Leache Curator of European art.” — Chrysler Museum of Art
Edvard Munch (Norwegian, 1863–1944). Madonna, 1985. Color lithograph and woodcut (1902 printing) on oriental paper: lithograph printed from 3 stones in beige, red and black; woodcut printed from 1 block in blue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, The Epstein Family Collection, 1990
Edvard Munch (Norwegian, 1863–1944). Geschrei (The Scream), 1895. Lithograph. National Gallery of Art, Washington, Rosenwald Collection, 1943
Edvard Munch (Norwegian, 1863–1944). The Urn, 1896. Lithograph in black on Japan paper. National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of the Epstein Family Collection, 2010
Edvard Munch (Norwegian, 1863–1944). Omega and the Flower from Alpha and Omega, 1908–09. Lithograph in black. National Gallery of Art, Washington, The Epstein Family Collection, 2002
Edvard Munch (Norwegian, 1863–1944). Alpha’s Despair from Alpha and Omega, 1908–09. Lithograph in black. National Gallery of Art, Washington, The Epstein Family Collection, 2002
Edvard Munch (Norwegian, 1863–1944). Funeral March, 1897. Lithograph in black. National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of the Epstein Family Collection, 2006
Edvard Munch (Norwegian, 1863–1944). Crowds in a Square, 1920. Color woodcut. National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of the Epstein Family Collection, 2013
Edvard Munch (Norwegian, 1863–1944). In a Man’s Brain (Reclining Woman), ca. 1897. Black chalk rubbing from woodblock heightened with brush and black ink on red-orange paper. National Gallery of Art, Washington, Epstein Family Fund and the Director’s Discretionary Fund, 2000
Edvard Munch (Norwegian, 1863–1944). Peer Gynt, 1896. Lithograph in black on light brown wove paper. National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of the Atlas Foundation, 1995
Edvard Munch (Norwegian, 1863–1944). Café Bauer, Berlin, 1902. Drypoint. National Gallery of Art, Washington, Rosenwald Collection, 1944
Edvard Munch (Norwegian, 1863–1944). The Brooch (Eva Mudocci), 1903. Lithograph in black on oriental paper. National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of the Epstein Family Collection, 2006
“These are fragile prints that can only be exhibited every few years in order to protect them against light exposure so that future generations can enjoy them,” said DeWitt. “The National Gallery of Art and the Epstein family have been exceptionally generous in lending an astounding 50 sheets so that our audience can experience the full range of work of one of the most well-known and powerful artists of the 19th and 20th centuries.”
Images courtesy Chrysler Museum of Art.
*PLEASE NOTE: The Chrysler Museum of Art is temporarily closed to the public.