The National Portrait Gallery's new Munch exhibition presents a unique perspective on the renowned artist, focusing on portraits of people in his life rather than his more famous works like The Scream. Featuring many portraits never shown in the UK before, attendees encounter a range of subjects, including some who were famous in Munch's era but are less recognized today. The exhibition explores Munch's dual identity as an artist and a businessman, revealing his social networks and preferences for portraiture that often reflect his mixed feelings toward those he painted.
"Unlike the classic image of an impoverished artist skilled at painting but useless at selling, Edvard Munch was also a consummate businessman and networker of the influential and wealthy."
"The delight of the exhibition is looking at portraits and trying to guess whether Munch liked the person he was painting, or not. Often he didn't, with many complaints from the sitter that he painted them badly or showing a bad side of them."
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