Edvard Munch, seen by Karl Ove Knausgard. Düsseldorf, Museum K20, until 01.03.2020

Edvard Munch without “scream”. Mono show in Düsseldorf

Whoever says or hears “Edvard Munch”, immediately has the “Scream” in mind. The iconic painting, which exists in several versions, and is probably by far the most famous work of the Norwegian painter, has certainly arrived in our collective memory as a permanent fixture and is cited millions of times worldwide. Also as an imprint on calendars, T-shirts, umbrellas, coffee cups and mouse pads. Even as emoji. Already seen, reproduced and quoted so often that it may not be possible to perceive it directly and impartially because too many prejudices have been put forward.

“The Scream” is, however, missing from the Düsseldorf exhibition, as well as a whole series of the other better-known works by Edvard Munch, who created over 1,700 paintings, drawings and prints in his lifetime. For the Duesseldorf show,  Norwegian writer Karl Ove Knausgard, who curated this Munch exhibition, has deliberately chosen to focus on works by the painter that were rarely or never shown in public.

The majority of the 138 works presented come from the depot of the Oslo Munch Museum. And while they do not show the “unknown” Munch, they certainly show the much less known and not famous works of the painter. And it is important to actually discover these works yourself, to find out for yourself what you see and what impression it makes. At the request of the curator, there are no further signs and descriptions in the  K20 exhibition . However, the grouping into four thematic rooms, which are also clearly separated from one another in terms of colour coding, offers a kind of guideline.

Four rooms

The first room is called “Light and Landscape”. The large painting “The Sun” (1912) shines towards you right at the very beginning. It floods the sea and the coastal cliffs in glistening light. Landscapes, gardens, flowers, and fields show much brightness and cheerfulness, and Munch’s obvious joy in dealing with color.

The second room is painted in light, slightly yellowish green and is called “forest”, and would not have used this term as a description at all. With over 50 works, Edvard Munch demonstrates here, close together, how different a forest can look, and nevertheless remains always the same. Gnarled tree trunks, bulging roots, spindly branches and shady green. People are hardly visible in these pictures. With the exception of two male nudes in the forest, right at the end of the room. A strange little mystery.

“Chaos and Power” is the third room. Paintings and partly colored woodcuts. And here again, there are many people. Often in unhappy, even hopeless life situations. Crying, sad, drunk. Like “The Death of the Bohemian”, which can be seen in several variations. But also tightly embraced lovers can be found here as well.

“The Others” concludes this Munch Show. There are portraits, some of them life-size and very different, just as people are. The closely lined up pictures seem countless. There are over forty works, by the way. The “high society”is shown, as well as the servants of his time. Munch presents men, women and children. People that Munch had met in his life. Famous and completely unknown contemporaries. Neighbouring children as well as the director of the Oslo National Gallery, an actor from the Berlin Max Reinhardt Seminar or the Norwegian Consul. And there are also a few self-portraits.

Munch. Can do without the “scream” once in a while

Why is this exhibition worthwhile? It is not about “ticking off” one of the great pioneers of classical modernism as a Sunday educational trip to the museum, with the art guide in hand. Nor is it about getting to know a “different” Munch than the painter of the iconic works “The Scream” or “The Sick Child”. These works are “world knowledge”, and probably pretty much everyone knows them. And be it as a calendar print, T-shirt, coffee cup or key ring. The Duesseldorf show can do without these masterpieces. And that is somehow kind of a relief. Because you can look at a Munch picture without having a prefabricated view and “reading” in your head. A recognized “masterpiece” always includes a more or less uniform perception and classification from a standard encyclopedia of art history. Munch has painted almost 1,800 pictures in his life.

The exhibition invites you to discover the artist Edvard Munch as a multi-faceted person. It is much more about discovering for oneself, in one’s own contemplation and very directly, that this icon of modern art history could also be cheerful, lively, cheerful and light, and at times a little banal and ordinary. Have a good time!