Edvard Munch – seen by Karl Ove Knausgård

Artist talk
Karl Ove Knausgård in conversation with Peter Doig
Sunday, November 24, 2019, 2pm at K20

With approximately 140 works that have rarely if ever been exhibited in Germany, the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen presents the “unknown” Edvard Munch (1863–1944) at the K20. These paintings, prints, and sculptures were selected by Karl Ove Knausgård (*1968). The internationally celebrated writer, a native Norwegian like Munch himself, achieved worldwide fame with his six-volume autobio-graphical novel, which has been translated into more than 30 languages and has received numerous prizes. His decidedly personal point of view opens up a fresh perspective of a man who was, arguably, the most important representative of the Scandinavian avantgarde of the early 20th century, while highlighting the continuing relevance of Munch’s concern with the embeddedness of the individual in society.

Knausgård explores the painter’s inner world while tracing Munch’s various artistic preoccupations. The author’s subjective approach results in a subdivision of the exhibition into 4 thematic areas: “Light and Landscape” presents shorelines and gardens, but also scenes of people working in the fields. It is followed by “The Forest,” with its views of trees and meadows—here is a natural world that retains the upper hand in relation to human endeavors. “Chaos and Energy” provides insights into the emotional and psychological forces that drove the painter, and into his struggle with each work. Complementing this focus on Munch’s interior life is the conclusion, “The Others,” which features images of friends and comrades and focuses on the ways in which the individual reasserts control over reality.

Edvard Munch (1863–1944) is one of the most important artists of the early twentieth cen-tury. He was a pioneer of Expressionism and unique in his stylistic and technical inventions in the field of printmaking. Among his most important creations are world-famous paintings such as The Scream and The Sick Child—works created by the Norwegian from the 1880s onwards. After longer stays in Paris and Berlin, Munch returned to Oslo in 1909. From this time on, he created winter landscapes, flower gardens, and life-size portraits full of unexpected gaiety.

Karl Ove Knausgård was born in 1968. His novels have been translated into more than thirty languages and earned him numerous accolades. In 2015, Knausgård received the literary prize awarded by the German daily newspaper Die Welt, followed, in 2017, by the Jerusalem Prize for the Freedom of the Individual in Society and the Austrian State Prize for European Literature.

Curator: Karl Ove Knausgård

The exhibition has been organized by the Munch Museum, Oslo, Norway, in partnership with Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf. It took place parallel to the Frankfurt Book Fair, which have named Norway its guest of honor and center of attention in 2019.

Publication
Edvard Munch – gesehen von Karl Ove Knausgård (with contributions by Karl Ove Knausgård and Anette Kruszynski) ca. 180 pages, German edition.

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