Self-portrait, 1895 Lithograph

Edvard Munch`s graphic work holds a unique position, in terms of both quality and quantity. It spans a period of 50 years (1894-1944) and covers a total of approximately 850 catalogue numbers divided between the three traditional graphic techniques of etching, lithography and woodcut as well as hundreds of what are known as hectographs. On his death, Munch bequeathed all his works of art to the City of Oslo and, besides paintings and drawings, the Munch Museum currently holds a collection of over 17,000 prints all created by this one artist. Furthermore, there are also a large number of graphic works spread through museums and private collections worldwide.

As a graphic artist, Munch was innovative in several fields and experimented with and simplified the various techniques in a way which places him in a class of his own even in an international context. Munch developed his capabilities with roughly the same amount of enthusiasm and skill in all the most important graphic techniques. In the main he worked with professional printers and did not produce large editions alone. However, at his death he also left a number of more experimental prints which clearly show that he was also in command of the technical aspect of the process.

A typical feature of Munch's graphic work is that he normally did not number his prints or state the size of the edition. Nor did he have the plates destroyed once printing was complete but, on the contrary, took great pains, at great expense, to preserve his stones and plates so that he could take further impressions at a later date. Consequently, in many cases many years may have passed between the date when Munch worked the plate and the time the last print was pulled from it. It is evident that this led to great variation in the quality of prints from the same plate but the reprints were done in Munch's own lifetime and largely under his control. We are aware of only very few examples of posthumous reprints of Munch's graphic work.

In addition to his works of art, Munch also bequeathed all his printing plates to the City of Oslo, and the Munch Museum therefore holds a large collection of lithographic stones, woodblocks and metal plates as well as three presses and some tools and printing equipment. While this is very important and interesting material for the researcher, it was also a way for the artist to ensure that no prints were pulled from his stones and plates after his death.

print