Munch Museum
Encyclopedia
Munch Museum is an art museum
in Oslo
, Norway
dedicated to the life and works of the Norwegian artist Edvard Munch
.
The museum now has in its permanent collection well over half of the artist's entire production of paintings and at least one copy of all his prints. This amounts to over 1,200 paintings, 18,000 prints, six sculptures, as well as 500 plates, 2,240 books, and various other items. The museum also contains educational and conservation sections and also has facilities for performing arts.
The museum structure was designed by the architects Einar Myklebust
and Gunnar Fougner
(1911-1995). Myklebust
also played an important role in the expansion and renovation of the museum in 1994 for the 50th anniversary of Munch's death. This site has also been the location of filming for an Olsenbanden
-movie from 1984. The City of Oslo promoted an architectural competition for a new Munch Museum in the area of Bjørvika
, a new urban development were the Oslo Opera House
is also located. The new museum will be completed in 2013 by the Spanish studio Herreros Arquitectos.
Theft of The Scream
On Sunday, 22 August 2004, two paintings by Munch, The Scream
and Madonna
, were stolen from the Munch Museum by masked men wielding firearm
s. The robbers forced the museum guards to lie down on the floor while they snapped the cable securing the paintings to the wall and escaped in a black Audi A6
station wagon, which police later found abandoned. The paintings were recovered by Oslo Police
on August 31, 2006. For more details on the theft see The Scream.
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
dedicated to the life and works of the Norwegian artist Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch was a Norwegian Symbolist painter, printmaker and an important forerunner of expressionist art. His best-known composition, The Scream, is part of a series The Frieze of Life, in which Munch explored the themes of love, fear, death, melancholia, and anxiety.- Childhood :Edvard Munch...
.
Munch Museum
The museum was financed from the profits generated by the Oslo municipal cinemas and opened its doors in 1963 to commemorate what would have been Munch's 100th birthday. Its collection consists of works and articles by Munch, which he donated to the municipality of Oslo upon his death, and additional works donated by his sister Inger Munch, as well as various other works obtained through trades of duplicate prints, etc.The museum now has in its permanent collection well over half of the artist's entire production of paintings and at least one copy of all his prints. This amounts to over 1,200 paintings, 18,000 prints, six sculptures, as well as 500 plates, 2,240 books, and various other items. The museum also contains educational and conservation sections and also has facilities for performing arts.
The museum structure was designed by the architects Einar Myklebust
Einar Myklebust
Einar Frithjof Myklebust , is a Norwegian architect and professor at NTH Einar Frithjof Myklebust (born 1922), is a Norwegian architect and professor at NTH Einar Frithjof Myklebust (born 1922), is a Norwegian architect and professor at NTH (now (NTNU).Einar Myklebust worked between 1953–1964...
and Gunnar Fougner
Gunnar Fougner
Gunnar Fougner was a Norwegian architect. Among his works is the design of the Munch Museum in Oslo, together with Einar Myklebust. Another major work is the Institute of Odontology in Bergen.-References:...
(1911-1995). Myklebust
Einar Myklebust
Einar Frithjof Myklebust , is a Norwegian architect and professor at NTH Einar Frithjof Myklebust (born 1922), is a Norwegian architect and professor at NTH Einar Frithjof Myklebust (born 1922), is a Norwegian architect and professor at NTH (now (NTNU).Einar Myklebust worked between 1953–1964...
also played an important role in the expansion and renovation of the museum in 1994 for the 50th anniversary of Munch's death. This site has also been the location of filming for an Olsenbanden
Olsen Gang
The Olsen Gang is a fictional Danish criminal gang in the movies of the same name. The gang's leader is the criminal genius and habitual offender Egon Olsen. The other members of the gang are Benny and Kjeld . The gang members are harmless and never use violence...
-movie from 1984. The City of Oslo promoted an architectural competition for a new Munch Museum in the area of Bjørvika
Bjørvika
Bjørvika is a neighborhood in the Sentrum borough of Oslo, Norway. The area is an inlet in the inner Oslofjord, situated between Gamlebyen and Akersness. It serves as an outlet for the river Akerselva. Since the 2000s, it has been undergoing urban redevelopment, being transformed from a container...
, a new urban development were the Oslo Opera House
Oslo Opera House
The Oslo Opera House is the home of The Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, and the national opera theatre in Norway. The building is situated in the Bjørvika neighborhood of central Oslo, at the head of the Oslofjord. It is operated by Statsbygg, the government agency which manages property for...
is also located. The new museum will be completed in 2013 by the Spanish studio Herreros Arquitectos.
Theft of The ScreamThe ScreamScream is the title of Expressionist paintings and prints in a series by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch, showing an agonized figure against a blood red sky...
On Sunday, 22 August 2004, two paintings by Munch, The ScreamThe Scream
Scream is the title of Expressionist paintings and prints in a series by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch, showing an agonized figure against a blood red sky...
and Madonna
Madonna (Edvard Munch)
Madonna is a painting by the Norwegian expressionist Edvard Munch. Munch painted five versions of the Madonna between 1894 and 1895, using oils on canvas. One of them measures 91 x 70.5 cm....
, were stolen from the Munch Museum by masked men wielding firearm
Firearm
A firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...
s. The robbers forced the museum guards to lie down on the floor while they snapped the cable securing the paintings to the wall and escaped in a black Audi A6
Audi A6
The Audi A6 is an executive car marketed by the German automaker Audi AG, now in its fourth generation. As the successor to the Audi 100, the A6 is manufactured in Neckarsulm, Germany – and is available in saloon, and wagon configurations, the latter marketed by Audi as the Avant.All generations...
station wagon, which police later found abandoned. The paintings were recovered by Oslo Police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
on August 31, 2006. For more details on the theft see The Scream.
Other Sources
- Eggum, Arne; Gerd Woll, Marit Lande Munch At The Munch Museum (Scala Publishers, 2005)
- Langaard, Johan H. Edvard Munch: Masterpieces from the artist's collection in the Munch Museum in Oslo (McGraw-Hill. 1964)