Artwork
Women and Children in Warnemünde

Women and Children in Warnemünde is an oil painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Edvard Munch. It dates from 1907 and is held in the collection of the Munch Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition emphasizes light, open space and the natural setting, reflecting Munch’s engagement with the environment and social life of the seaside town.
The painting depicts women and children gathered outdoors in Warnemünde, a coastal resort in northern Germany where Munch stayed in 1907–1908. The scene centers on a group of women and children under a tree near a house, with one child reaching upward and another standing close to an adult, suggesting themes of care and familial intimacy. A dog appears in the foreground, adding to the domestic, leisurely atmosphere typical of beachside resort life.
The composition emphasizes light, open space and the natural setting, reflecting Munch’s engagement with the environment and social life of the seaside town. The work has been interpreted as capturing a moment of communal presence and connection in a transitional space between nature and human habitation.
Technique & Style
Edvard Munch's Women and Children in Warnemünde is executed in oil paint on canvas, a traditional medium that supports the work's classification as a genre painting. Created in 1907, the artwork measures 99 cm in height and 79 cm in width. The composition depicts a coastal scene featuring women and children alongside elements such as trees, houses, and a dog, characteristic of Munch's genre art from that period.
The handling of the oil medium facilitates the depiction of these specific figures and settings within the Warnemünde landscape.
History & Provenance
Edvard Munch created the oil painting Women and Children in Warnemünde in 1907. The work depicts figures alongside elements of the Warnemünde landscape, including trees, houses, and a dog. It is currently held in the collection of the Munch Museum. The painting was featured in the exhibition Munch og Warnemünde, which took place between 1907 and 1908.
Women and Children in Warnemünde is held in the collection of the Munch Museum, where it is located. The work, created in 1907, is an oil painting on canvas depicting a scene with a woman, child, tree, house, and dog in Warnemünde.
The painting has been featured in the exhibition titled Munch og Warnemünde, which covered the period from 1907 to 1908.
Context
The painting Women and Children in Warnemünde (1907) is part of Munch's exploration of psychological depth in everyday scenes, reflecting his broader Symbolist interests and engagement with contemporary Nordic life. Its depiction of a domestic coastal setting aligns with the artist's focus on intimate, often unsettling moments within familiar environments, situating it within the evolution of modernist genre painting in Scandinavia. The work's specific focus on Warnemünde, a Baltic seaside resort, connects it to Munch's travels and his response to particular landscapes, contributing to the understanding of his regional subject matter beyond urban centers.
Scholarship emphasizes its significance as an early example of his use of simplified forms and expressive color to convey emotional states within a seemingly mundane scene.
Legacy
Women and Children in Warnemünde, painted by Edvard Munch in 1907, has been recognized for its vivid portrayal of coastal life and familial intimacy, contributing to the evolution of early 20th-century genre painting. Its inclusion in exhibitions such as 'Munch og Warnemünde' (1907–1908) highlighted its thematic resonance with the social atmosphere of the period. The work is held in the Munch Museum collection, where it remains part of the permanent display, underscoring its enduring presence in the study of Munch’s oeuvre and Nordic art.
Overview
Women and Children in Warnemünde is a 1907 oil painting by Edvard Munch, capturing a momentary scene of everyday life in the coastal town of Warnemünde.
Artist & collection
Artist
Edvard Munch ( MUUNK; Norwegian:; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter.














