Edvard Munch Timeline
| Year | Description |
|---|---|
| 1863 | Born 12 December in Löten, Norway |
| 1864 | The family moves to Kristiania (now Oslo) |
| 1868 | Mother dies of tuberculosis |
| 1877 | Sister, Sophie, dies of tuberculosis |
| 1879 | Begins studies at Kristiania Technical College |
| 1880 | Decides to become a painter, leaves engineering studies, and enrolls at the Royal School of Design in Kristiania |
| 1881 | Attends Royal School of Drawing |
| 1885 | Travels to Paris on a scholarship |
| 1889 | Father dies; Munch arranges first one-man show in Kristiania; studies with Léon Bonnat in Paris |
| 1892 | Exhibits in Berlin’s Artists’ Association; controversy helps spread his reputation |
| 1906 | Completes stage decorations for Ibsen’s Ghosts in Berlin |
| 1908 | Suffers nervous breakdown; admitted to Dr. Jacobson’s clinic in Copenhagen |
| 1909 | Awarded the Royal Order of St. Olav |
| 1916 | Settles at Ekely estate, near Kristiania |
| 1930 | A blood vessel bursts in his right eye; vision nearly lost |
| 1933 | Awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav |
| 1937 | 82 works confiscated from German museums as “degenerate art” |
| 1940 | Bequeaths all remaining works to the City of Oslo |
| 1944 | Dies of pneumonia on 23 January at Ekely, near Oslo |
Early Life
Edvard Munch was born on December 12, 1863, in Löten, Norway, the second of five children. His father, Christian Munch, was a doctor in the Army Medical Corps, and his mother, Laura Catherine, died of tuberculosis when Edvard was only five. The family moved to Kristiania (now Oslo) in 1864. After his mother’s death, his aunt Karen Bjolstad took over the household. In 1877, tragedy struck again when his beloved sister Sophie died of tuberculosis at just fifteen. These early losses deeply shaped Munch’s later art.
Education and Artistic Development
In 1879, Munch entered Kristiania Technical College but soon abandoned engineering studies to pursue art. By 1881, he was enrolled at the Royal School of Drawing, where he studied freehand drawing and modeling. He rented a studio with fellow artists and came under the mentorship of Christian Krohg and Frits Thaulow, who introduced him to naturalist painting. In 1885, a scholarship allowed him to travel to Paris, where he was influenced by French Impressionism and Post-Impressionism.
Major Works and Recognition
In 1886, Munch painted The Sick Child, a haunting work inspired by Sophie’s death. The painting shocked critics but marked the beginning of his personal, emotional style. Over the next decades, Munch developed his series The Frieze of Life, exploring themes of love, anxiety, illness, and death. His most famous work, The Scream (1893), became an icon of modern art, expressing existential fear with raw intensity.
Munch’s exhibitions often caused controversy. His 1892 Berlin show was closed by authorities, but the scandal brought him wide attention. He continued to work across Europe, spending time in Paris, Berlin, and back in Norway. By the early 1900s, he was well established, though personal struggles—including a nervous breakdown in 1908—deeply affected him.
Later Years
After recovering from his breakdown, Munch settled at his estate, Ekely, near Kristiania, in 1916. He increasingly painted landscapes, workers, and portraits, while still haunted by themes of mortality. In 1930, he suffered a hemorrhage in his right eye, nearly losing his sight. In 1937, the Nazi regime confiscated 82 of his works from German museums, labeling them “degenerate.” Despite these setbacks, Munch continued painting until his death in 1944. He left his vast collection—over 1,000 paintings, 15,000 prints, 4,000 drawings, and several sculptures—to the City of Oslo.
Legacy
In 1963, the Munch Museum opened in Oslo, preserving his life’s work. Edvard Munch remains one of the most influential artists of modernism, remembered for channeling personal tragedy into universally powerful art. His paintings confront love, fear, grief, and longing with an honesty that resonates today. Personally, I find Munch fascinating—his struggles and his raw ability to transform pain into beauty inspire me. My favorite work of his is The Scream, a painting that continues to reflect the depths of human emotion.