The Neue Galerie is presenting Munch and Expressionism, an exhibition that explores the mutual influence and intense dialogue between Edvard Munch (1863-1944) and the generation of German-Austrian artists from the early 20th century. Curated by Jill Lloyd, in collaboration with the Munch Museum in Oslo, the exhibition comprises 85 works, including paintings and graphic works, that have never before been shown in New York. The exhibition is divided into four themed rooms, each illustrating a significant aspect of the interaction that arose from the need to express a sense of confusion and disquiet in the face of a growing standardized, alienated, and militaristic capitalist society. Munch’s Self-Portrait with a Skeleton (1895) greets us as a prelude to the exhibition: the disconcerting face of the young artist surfaces from the dark background, his face aged, his gaze lost in space. At the bottom edge of the painting, the arm of a skeleton reminds us of our fleeting existence, a theme which recurs obsessively in the oeuvre of Munch, whose life was scarred by madness and family deaths.
The first room, entitled Experimental Printmaking and dedicated to graphic work and to wood engravings in particular, represents the height of the exchange between the Norwegian painter and the Expressionist Group Die Brücke, which included Emil Nolde, Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff. Expressive distortions that border on the grotesque, theatrical gestures, and strong contrasts heightened by acidic, clashing colours are some of most recurring visual elements. The works are displayed in two parallel rows, showcasing the artists’ predilection for serial work, following a practice that was common among contemporary artists such as Claude Monet or Giorgio Morandi (currently on view at the Center for Italian Modern Art ). One example is the famous series of Munch’s Madonna (1895/1902), which he realized with different techniques, all united by the iconic portrayal of the female figure, both seductive and evil, an expression of fertility (the swimming sperm depicted on the frame), and death (the skeleton depicted on the bottom edge). Nolde’s Young Danish Woman (1913), marked by the clashing hues of make-up and by the typical rigidity of African idols, is also presented in four variations. At the end of the room a display cabinet contains letters and photos and Gustav’s Schiefler’s monography of Munch’s graphic oeuvre that was very popular among the Expressionists.
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