Edvard Munch (* December 12, 1863 in Løten, Hedmark, Norway; † January 23, 1944 on Ekely in Oslo) was a Norwegian painter and graphic artist. In addition to over 1700 paintings, he produced numerous prints and drawings. Munch is considered a trailblazer for the expressionist direction in modernist painting.
His first exhibition in Germany caused a scandal ("Munch case"). Subsequently, he enjoyed an early reputation in Central Europe as an epoch-making new creator. Today, his idiosyncrasy and status are also recognized in the rest of Europe and the world.
Munch's paintings focus on man and his essential emotional experiences, from love to grief and death. In them Munch processed mainly autobiographical experiences and adventures. The artist painted important motifs again and again in different versions, including many of his major works grouped together in the so-called Life Frieze, among them The Scream, Madonna, Vampire, Melancholy, Death in the Sick Room, or The Dance of Life.