Munch Museum to Reopen in New Venue on Oslo Waterfront
By Katie Bono
Exterior of MUNCH. Photo © Guttorm Stilen Johansen
On October 22nd, the museum MUNCH, dedicated to Norwegian artist Edvard Munch, will open after years of logistical challenges, political drama, and development blockages. The building is designed by the Spanish architectural firm Estudio Herreros and is now a dominant landmark located on the Oslo waterfront. MUNCH spans thirteen floors and includes eleven exhibition halls providing ample space to exhibit the vast body of work that Munch donated to the city of Oslo upon his death. Munch’s collection consists of approximately 28 thousand works including his paintings, drawings, sculptures, prints, photographs, and personal objects.
The project for a new museum was conceived after The Scream (1910) and Madonna (1894) were stolen from the original Munch Museum located in the suburban Toyen district in 2004. The theft prompted several security concerns and in 2008 the new museum site was approved and multiple design competitions were hosted. The relocation of the Munch collection has prompted an inventory of the extensive body of works and allowed for the digitization of his collection.
Packaging The Researchers; the largest painting in the collection. Photo © Munchmuseet.
Difficulties in opening the new museum arose in the transportation of Munch’s largest work The Researchers (1911-25) which measures 50 sq meters. The painting had to be moved out of the Toyen Munch museum through the roof, then across the city via truck tops, across the fjord via boat, and finally into MUNCH through a hole on the 6th floor. The Researchers, along with Munch’s other large-scale work The Sun (1910-11) are now displayed in a double-height gallery to facilitate an ideal viewing experience. Many of the works in the series of permanent exhibitions are organized thematically rather than chronologically. A recreation of Edvard Munch’s home with his personal effects is to be on display to provide museum-goers with an immersive look into Munch’s psyche.
Edvard Munch: The Sun, 1910–11. Oil on canvas. Photo © Munchmuseet.
According to museum director Stein Olav Henrichson the venue is to be “a meeting place for everyone for all types of cultural occasions. We want to broaden the idea about what a museum is, and provide opportunities for completely new experiences and perspectives.” The newfound focus on global cultural heritage is an effort to bring exhibits to Norway so that Munch’s work can be displayed in dialogue with other artists. Moreover, the venue is looking to become an events space that will host music, performances, films, and art talks.
Bibliography
“Munch's Largest Paintings Have to Be Lifted through the Museum Wall.” Munchmuseet, https://www.munchmuseet.no/en/the-collection/munchs-largest-paintings-have-to-be-lifted-through-the-museum-wall/.
“This is the New Munch.” Munchmuseet, https://www.munchmuseet.no/en/this-is-munch/ .
“‘Forget everything you know about museums - this is different’: Oslo’s enormous Munch museum is ready to open after a decade of setbacks.” Christian House, The Art Newspaper, 19 October 2021, https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2021/10/19/screaming-success-oslos-munch-museum-reboot.