Edvard Munch (Norwegian, 1863-1944), the son of Christian Munch, a military doctor, and his wife Laura, spent his childhood in Oslo (formerly Kristiania). His mother died from tuberculosis when he was five years old. Having to stay in bed for whole winters due to delicate health as a child, Edvard could not attend school and was taught at home instead. Overshadowing by illness, bereavement and dread of inheriting a mental condition that ran in the family gave him strength and the freedom to nurture and pursue his passion for art by drawing. In 1880, he enrolled and was admitted to the Royal School of Art and Design, where he met his first mentor and supporter, the renowned naturalistic painter Christian Krohg, and his talents were awakened since then.

At the age of 22, thanks to a scholarship, he, for the first time, travelled to Paris, somewhere bigger beyond Norway opened up to him. He spent his mornings at Bonnat’s studio and afternoons at the exhibitions, galleries, and museums. Munch was enthralled and inspired by the vast display of modern European art, including the works of three artists who would prove influential: Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec — all notable for how they used colour to convey emotion. In November 1889, his father suffered a stroke and passed away. He was devastated.

In 1892, Adelsteen Normann, on behalf of the Union of Berlin Artists, invited Munch to exhibit his works at its November exhibition. His art evoked bitter controversy and shocked the German public, and after one week, it was closed. Pleased with the ‘great commotion’, he wrote in a letter “Never have I had such an amusing time—it's incredible that something as innocent as painting should have created such a stir." A solo show in Berlin in 1892 was noisily shut down by a conservative art faction, giving him, as he was delighted to note, invaluable publicity. To make the most of the “Munch affair,” as it was called, he settled in the city and stayed for nearly 16 years. Some of his best-known images originated during this time: “Madonna,” “Puberty,” and “The Scream.” Munch became involved in an international circle of writers, artists and critics during the time he was in German, including the Swedish writer and artist August Strindberg, whom he painted, as he embarked on a major series of paintings he would later call The Frieze of Life, depicting a series of deeply-felt themes such as love, anxiety, jealousy and betrayal, steeped in atmosphere.

As his fame and wealth grew, his emotional state remained insecure. He briefly considered marriage, but could not commit himself. A mental breakdown in 1908 forced him to give up heavy drinking, and he was cheered by his increasing acceptance by the people of Kristiania and exposure to the city's museums. His later years were spent working in peace and privacy. Although his works were banned in Nazi-occupied Europe, most of them survived World War II, securing him, one of Modernism's most significant artists, a legacy.