Who painted At Supper?

At Supper was painted by Edvard Munch in 1892.

Where can I see At Supper?

At Supper is held by Munch Museum.

What movement is At Supper?

At Supper is associated with Post-Impressionism.

At Supper by Edvard Munch (1892) · Meaning & Museum

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The composition centers on a table illuminated by a kerosene lamp, where the artist's father, Christian Munch, and sister, Inger Munch, are seated for a meal.

Edvard Munch's 1883 oil painting At Supper depicts a domestic genre scene set within a kitchen. The composition centers on a table illuminated by a kerosene lamp, where the artist's father, Christian Munch, and sister, Inger Munch, are seated for a meal. By focusing on this intimate family gathering, the work functions as a straightforward representation of daily life rather than an allegorical statement.

The inclusion of specific family members and the humble setting of the kitchen table grounds the image in personal reality, capturing a quiet moment of shared existence.

Technique & Style

Executed in 1883, At Supper is an oil painting on canvas by Edvard Munch. The work measures 49 cm in height and 59.5 cm in width. As a genre scene, the composition depicts a domestic interior featuring a kitchen table illuminated by a kerosene lamp, with figures identified as Christian Munch and Inger Munch gathered for a meal.

The piece is held in the collection of the Munch Museum, where it has been included in exhibitions examining the artist's experimental approaches to technique and materials during this period.

History & Provenance

The work was begun in 1883, the same year as Munch’s earliest dated paintings.

It remained in the artist’s possession until at least the early twentieth century. By 1963 it was documented in the collection of the Munch Museum, Oslo, where it has been held continuously since that time.

Context

At Supper (1883) belongs to the early phase of Edvard Munch's career, when genre scenes of domestic life formed a significant part of his output. The painting is held by the Munch Museum, the principal repository of the artist's work, situating it within the institutional context that has shaped scholarship on Munch's development. Its subject matter, a family supper around a kitchen table illuminated by a kerosene lamp, depicting his parents Christian Munch and Inger Munch, connects it to the autobiographical strain that would later define his art.

The work has been included in the exhibition "Edvard Munchs 'hestekur': Eksperimenter med teknikk og materialer," which focused on his experimentation with technique and materials, indicating that the painting has been examined in relation to his broader material practice rather than as an isolated genre piece. As an early oil-on-canvas work measuring 49 by 59.5 cm, it precedes the more symbolic and psychologically charged paintings for which Munch became widely known.

Overview

At Supper is a 1892 oil painting by Edvard Munch, a Norwegian artist known for exploring emotional and psychological themes.