MUNCH BY WARHOL
Haugar Art Museum 22 May–5 September 2010

In his lifetime, the American pop artist Andy Warhol (1928–1987) ascended to the same star status within the art world as Edvard Munch.

Haugar’s upcoming Munch exhibition seems a fitting opportunity to bring the work of these two artistic giants together with a presentation of the series of paintings, drawings and silkscreen prints by Warhol, that were directly inspired by some of Munch’s most famous works – The Scream, Madonna, Self-portrait with Skeleton Arm and the portrait of Eva Mudocci.

In late autumn 1982, a gallery in New York organized an exhibition of over 100 works by Munch. Warhol, who thought very highly of Munch, visited the show several times, and was inspired to create new and contemporary versions of Munch’s classic images. During this period, Warhol also did several series based on the works of the Renaissance masters, including Leonardo da Vinci and Botticelli.

Aside from the fact that Munch’s works were, and still are, some of the most famous artworks in the world, Warhol may have been motivated by other reasons as well. Despite his insistence that he was just as superficial as his art, his choice of The Scream and Self-portrait with Skeleton Arm suggest a more profound consideration of the issues surrounding anxiety and death. Both artists lost a parent when they were young, and like Munch, Warhol was shot, with almost fatal consequences.

The exhibition is being organized in co-operation with Anders Bjørnsen of the Sparebank Foundation and also includes the four original Munch prints, three of which are kindly on loan from the Munch Museum.

The original Haugar symbol is designed by Walter Grønli. Adjusted and framed by Halvor Bodin in 2006.