“Munch: A Retrospective — The Resonating Cry of the Soul”
On October 27, 2018 (Sat), “Munch: A Retrospective — The Resonating Cry of the Soul” opens at Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum.
A Grand Retrospective of Around 100 Works
Edvard Munch (1863–1944), master of modern Western painting, is known worldwide for his masterpiece The Scream.
Drawing chiefly on the Munch Museum in Oslo — the artist’s hometown and holder of the largest collection in the world — this grand retrospective is composed of some 100 works, centered on around 60 oil paintings and augmented with prints and other pieces.
Among the several extant versions of The Scream, the tempera-and-oil painting held by the Munch Museum, Oslo, makes its long-awaited first-ever visit to Japan on this occasion.
From representative works in which love, despair, jealousy, loneliness, and other facets of the human interior are expressed with searing intensity, to beautiful landscapes of the Norwegian countryside, to the brightly colored works of his late period — the show traces Munch’s painting career spanning some 60 years.
At this exhibition, you can savor to the full not only the iconic Scream but also the singular world Munch paints. Below, I introduce a number of the works on view via images.
First, Self-Portrait in Hell. The overwhelming sense of world in this work stays with you.
The next work, Despair, depicts a figure with head bowed as if downcast, though the expression is hard to read. Take note also of the two figures behind, the treatment of the background, and the use of color.
Alongside such heavy works, there are also radiant, luminous pieces — an enigmatic painter indeed.
The work titled The Sun feels almost blinding to look at.
The exhibition brings together many other Munch works as well.
*All works from the collection of the Munch Museum, Oslo. All Photographs ©Munchmuseet
Final Thoughts
Seeing the masterpiece The Scream with one’s own eyes goes without saying — but so too do the beautiful landscapes of the Norwegian countryside, the print works, and the many other pieces Munch left behind, all of which promise a rich immersion in his world.
Take a look at some of the images introduced on the exhibition’s official website, and you may well be surprised by the breadth of his works.
The subtitle attached to this exhibition — “The Resonating Cry of the Soul” — is something worth feeling and receiving for ourselves, don’t you think?
Overview
Munch: A Retrospective — The Resonating Cry of the Soul
Period: October 27, 2018 (Sat) – January 20, 2019 (Sun)
Closed: Mondays (open on November 26, December 10, December 24, and January 14), December 25 (Tue), January 15 (Tue)
Year-end / New Year closure: December 31 (Mon), January 1 (Tue / holiday)
Opening hours: 9:30–17:30 *Fridays, November 1 (Thu), and November 3 (Sat / holiday) until 20:00 (last entry 30 minutes before closing)
Venue: Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Special Exhibition Gallery
Inquiries: 03-5777-8600 (Hello Dial)
