Munch Museum

The museum's origins trace back to Edvard Munch's lifetime, as he was involved in discussions regarding a dedicated museum. In 1951, the City of Oslo decided to establish the museum at Tøyen. The original Munch Museum opened in 1963, coinciding with the centenary of Munch's birth, following his bequest of his entire artistic production to the municipality.

The collection at Tøyen included over 1,200 paintings, 18,000 prints, and various other items. In 2021, the museum relocated to a new facility in Bjørvika, moving 28,000 pieces of art from the Tøyen site to the new waterfront location.

The new museum building, known as 'Lambda,' was designed by the Spanish architecture firm Estudio Herreros (Juan Herreros and Jens Richter) and completed in 2021. Standing 60 meters tall with 13 floors, the tower is clad in recycled, perforated aluminium panels of varying translucency that reflect Oslo's changing light. The design features a vertical organization with a three-storey podium and two distinct zones: a static, enclosed concrete structure for art conservation and a dynamic, transparent zone for visitors.

The building adheres to FutureBuilt criteria, utilizing low-carbon concrete, recycled steel, and passive building standards to minimize energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

The core of the museum is Edvard Munch's bequest, which includes the artist's entire production of paintings, prints, and sculptures, ensuring the museum holds at least one copy of all his prints. The collection also encompasses the private collections of Rolf Stenersen, Amaldus Nielsen, and Ludvig O. Ravensberg, providing a broader view of Norwegian art history over nearly a century. The museum houses significant works such as multiple versions of 'The Scream' and 'Madonna,' alongside large-scale monumental paintings and experimental woodcuts. The collection is managed by a dedicated Conservation Department that researches Munch's untraditional use of materials.

MUNCH serves as a pivotal cultural institution in Norway, acting as both a guardian of Munch's legacy and a hub for contemporary artistic dialogue. It conducts pioneering research in art history, conservation, and curatorial practice, publishing findings through academic and popular platforms. The move to the Bjørvika waterfront has established the museum as a new reference point in Oslo's skyline, fostering urban regeneration and connecting the public to the city's history.

The museum's mission extends beyond exhibition to include education, performance, and community engagement, reflecting Munch's own spirit of challenging conventions.

The museum maintains a specialized Conservation Department staffed by paintings and paper conservators, art technicians, and museum scientists. This team is responsible for the care of the collection and conducts research into Munch's experimental techniques and material usage, which often pose unique preservation challenges. The museum also operates a research library containing literature on Munch and visual art, his private library, and transcriptions of his correspondence and journals.

These resources are available for in-house and external research, supporting the museum's role in generating new insights into modernism and Munch's specific contributions.