Here are some facts about Edvard Munch, the famous Norwegian artist.
- Edvard Munch was born in 1863 in Adalsbruk, Norway.
- Edvard’s mother died of tuberculosis in 1868. He was raised by his Aunt Karen and his father.
- Munch was a sickly child and he often used to spend the winter months at home from school. He started to draw to keep himself occupied.
- Art became an increasingly important part of Edvard’s life. He started an engineering course in 1879, but left after just one year in order to start a career as a painter.
- In 1881 studied at the Royal School of Art and Design in Christiania.
- By the late 1880s, Evard Munch was beginning to define his style. His paintings from this time period are tense and full of emotion and personal symbolism and feature simplified forms and bold outlines.
- Munch moved to Paris in 1889 and he spent many hours looking at paintings in the city’s galleries and museums. He was particularly impressed by the way in which Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gaugin conveyed emotion through colour.
- The Scream is the most well-know of Munch’s paintings. There are actually four versions of the work (two in pastel, and two in paint). One of the pastel versions sold for more than $100 million in 2012.
- His other major works include: Ashes, The Dance of Life and The Dead Mother.
- Munch died on 23 January 1944 in Nazi-occupied Norway.
What next? Discover some facts about other famous artists.
