A pivotal figure in the Symbolist and Expressionist movements, Munch became renowned for his raw emotional intensity and innovative use of colour. While his focus on dark, taboo subjects initially sparked controversy, he gained widespread acclaim and his profound impact on Modern art endures to this day.
In 1883, Munch was a student at the Royal School of Design in Oslo. That same year, he exhibited his first works, including Study of a Head and Girl Kindling a Stove (currently in the National Museum, Oslo, and in a private collection respectively), with mixed success. That same year, at just 20 years old, Munch created this remarkable work on paper, making it one of his earliest known pieces. Exceptionally rare, it is one of the few surviving works from this formative period still held in private hands. While Munch is now celebrated primarily for his Expressionist works, such as The Scream (1893, National Museum, Oslo), our drawing reveals his exceptional skill as a draughtsman from the outset of his career. Munch once said of portraiture, “Seen from the front, [a face] it speaks about the individual”. The style and technique employed for the portrayal of this woman echo those that characterise his Portrait of an Old Man (fig. 1), drawn a year later. As Munch’s biographer Sue Prideaux observed, the tender, unsentimental portrayal of aging reflects Munch’s deep reverence for Rembrandt and the Old Masters, as well as his ambition to capture the inner truth of his subjects: what he referred to as “the secret life of the soul”.
This drawing was first owned by Thomas Fredrik Olsen, a neighbour and close confidant of Munch. His remarkable collection of the artist’s works reflected every stage of his career. Olsen began collecting Munch’s art in the late 1920s, but his commitment to the artist’s legacy went far beyond acquiring works. He played a pivotal role in securing the return of Munch’s pieces from Nazi Germany – where they had been condemned as entartete Kunst (degenerate art) – by providing most of the funds needed to bring them back to Norway. A steadfast supporter of Munch throughout his life, Olsen regularly loaned pieces from his collection to exhibitions abroad, helping to raise the artist’s international profile.