Munch, Edvard

At the Sonderbund art exhibition in Cologne in 1912 Edvard Munch, not yet 50 years old, was celebrated as one of the founders of modern European painting. His significance as a pioneer and innovator was compared to masters such as Cezanne, van Gogh and Gauguin. The perception of Munch as one of the most important prerequisites and inspirational sources of 20th century visual art has in subsequent years been unequivocally confirmed in the annals of art history. It is primarily his graphic works and paintings from the 1890s – in particular the motifs that are included in the Frieze of Life – that have secured him his central position in art history.