Munch Museum: Masterpiece or Monstrosity?
Is the Munch Museum a masterpiece or monstrosity?
The newly opened Munchmuseet / Munch Museum is one of the world’s largest museums dedicated to a single artist. Edward Munch (1863-1944) remains one of Norway’s most famous artists, best known for the painting “The Scream”. When he died, he willed all of his artworks to the city of Oslo, including around 28,000 paintings, sketches, photographs and sculptures.
See our fabulous silk-blend scarf depicting “The Scream” below.
Although the Munch Museum also contains additional art from Norway, Munch’s bequest comprises the bulk of works in the museum. The new museum opened in October 2022. Also in Oslo, is the new National Museum, with the largest collection of Norwegian art in the entire Nordic region - this is due to Open in 2023.
The Munch Museum is currently a hot topic. It sits on the waterfront, close to the Oslo Opera House, towering 188 feet above the shore, 13 stories high and over 26,000 square feet of exhibition spaces. In 2008, Oslo promoted an architectural competition for the museum’s design, which was won in 2009 by a Spanish architect, Juan Herreros.
The angular form of the building appears to lean toward the opera house and historical city centre and is intended to present a welcoming gesture that invites visitors. The architect wanted the museum to be an extension of public urban space in Bjørvika, Oslo, transforming it into an everyday landmark and a cohesive element of the community.
The building is wrapped in a skin made from recycled, perforated aluminum panels with varying levels of transparency. Recycled materials are utilized throughout, and the building is designed with environmentally friendly construction to emit 50% less carbon than current standards, with low energy heating and cooling. The surfaces reflect the light throughout the day and seasons, with artificial light filtering through at night.
The building has no on-site visitor or staff car parking, but is very close to the city’s largest public transport hub, negating any need to arrive by car. Many of the architectural choices are climate driven.
Opinions with regard to the architecture of the “Munch” range from an “eyesore”, “scary”, “poorly designed building with a lifeless expression”, “more fitting for a Disneyland hotel”, and “lead-grey mastodon” to an “architectural masterpiece”, “striking”, “inspiring”, and “an enigmatic and ever-changing presence in the Bjørvika Bay”. Since Estudio Herreros won the architectural competition with its “Lambda” contribution, protests have been many and loud.
In Norway, architecture frequently has an organic touch, with warm materials like wood and natural stone. The Munch, in contrast, is glass, steel and aluminum.
From the 9th floor upward, a 20 degree outward slope was constructed, with horizontal waves in the lining contributing to the appearance of heaviness, which has been said to “give the impression the building is threatening to collapse”, with the crack at the top reinforcing the experience of destabilization.
Whatever your opinion about the Munch Museum architecture and appeal, you will need to visit Oslo to see the original works of Edward Munch. However, you can bring home a piece of Norwegian art and/or home décor from Nordhuset.
We have some fabulous pictures of Norway, Munch Museum / Munchmuseet posters, postcards, greeting cards and tote bags. If you’d like to add The Munch to your personal collection, take a look around our site.
