Edvard Munch: love and angst, British Museum - ★★★★★ - Until July 21, 2019

There is so much more to Edvard Munch than "The Scream." The image that is so popularized, parodied and used in memes remains a definitive symbol for the modern world experience, but this exhibition places it in the context of Munch's canon and restores it to its place in the frieze of life that the artist evoked. This rich exhibition of the artist's prints draws heavily on the collection of Norway's Munch museum, and the selected work illustrates a mastery of print media and the obsessions with love in torment, anguish and isolation, sadness and death that Munch is known for. The intention of the show is not to be chronological but the kiosks evoking Kristiania, Berlin and Paris at the time of the artist offer an important counterpoint to the work and its transcendent nature. Munch's work is always personal and specific, dealing with the death of his sister or his own experiences of love and angst, but from these he is able to draw the universal which so powerfully resonates. It is not accidental that the image he is best known for is constantly evolving and accreting new meanings for its viewers. This is the largest exhibition of Munch's prints in the UK in 45 years. Don't wait until next time!

Reviewed by J.C.

 Our Score:  ☆☆☆☆☆ 

WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE:
Until July 21, 2019
Sat - Thu: 10 am - 5:30 pm 
Fri: 10 am - 8:30 pm  
Last entry 80 minutes before closing
Room 35, The Sir Joseph Hotung Great Court Gallery
The British Museum
Nearest tube: Russell Square
www.britishmuseum.org/Munch