Edvard Munch Biography

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Synopsis

Painter Edvard Munch, born in 1863 in Löton, Norway, established a free-flowing, psychological-themed style all his own. His painting The Scream is one of the most recognizable works in the history of art. Later works were less intense, but his ensured his legacy earlier, darker paintings. As a testament to his importance, The Scream sold in 2012 for over $119 million, setting a new record.

Biography

Edvard Munch was born on December 12, 1863, in Löton, Norway, the second of five children. In 1864, Munch moved with his family to the city of Oslo, where his mother died four years later of tuberculosis. This was the beginning of a series of familial tragedies in Munch’s life: His sister Sophie also died of tuberculosis in 1877 at the age of 15, another of his sisters spent most of her life institutionalized for mental illness, and his one brother died of pneumonia at age 30.

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  In 1879, Munch began attending a technical college to study engineering but left just a year later when his interest in art overtook his interest in engineering. In 1881, he enrolled at the Royal School of Art and Design. The next year, he rented a studio with six other artists and entered his first show, at the Industries and Art Exhibition.

  Three years of study and practice later, Munch received a scholarship and traveled to Paris, where he spent three weeks. After returning to Oslo, Munch began working on new paintings, one of which was ...

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