Edvard Munch is one of art history’s most iconic artists – his painting The Scream (1893) has been immortalised on fridge magnets, tea towels and weighty tomes exploring expressionism.
Australia is now set to have its own Munch masterwork with the donation of the painting Man with Horse, which has been gifted to the National Gallery of Australia (NGA). It marks the most significant acquisition for the national collection in the 21st century.
This highly significant acquisition has been made possible through the generosity of Geoff Ainsworth AM. Ainsworth said in a statement today: “It is a joy to gift Man with Horse to the National Gallery of Australia… Edvard Munch’s art is celebrated globally, so I am delighted that Australians can, from today, stand before this masterpiece and experience its luminous beauty and subtle complexity.”
Prior to arriving in Kamberri/Canberra, the painting had been held in private collections since 1938. It was, however, included in the recent major retrospective Edvard Munch: Beyond the Scream (2024) at the Hangaram Art Museum in Seoul, South Korea – testament to the quality of this work.
And the painting?
Painted in 1918 by the Norwegian artist, it has the same signature evocative, somewhat vigorous, brushstrokes as many of Munch’s iconic works, adding to its emotional intensity. The Gallery says: “This striking work captures Munch’s bold use of colour, expressive brushwork and symbolist imagery, and is a powerful testament to his exploration of the human and natural worlds.”
It was painted during a period when Munch was working on a series of important compositions featuring his white horse named Rousseau, after moving to the country estate Ekely in 1916. Most works at this time had a utilitarian quality with agrarian scenes, while Man with Horse is a rare example of the artist exploring the spiritual relationship between animal and human. The Gallery adds, “The horse signals a tension between the power of the natural world and the relative insecurity of man’s existence.” It is sizable, measuring 130 by 150 centimetres, and it is now on view at the NGA.
