The National Portrait Gallery unveils a rediscovered Edvard Munch painting, featuring his friend Thor Lütken, with a hidden landscape on the sleeve.
Rediscovered Munch Painting Unveiled in UK
The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) will unveil a striking portrait by Edvard Munch, painted in 1893, as part of a major exhibition of the Norwegian master’s portraits. The painting, which features Munch’s friend Thor Lütken, has two ethereal figures hidden on his sleeve.
A Painting within a Painting
At first glance, it appears to be a striking portrait by Edvard Munch, painted in 1892, a year before he created his most famous masterpiece, The Scream. However, upon closer inspection, two embracing, ethereal figures in a mysterious moonlit landscape are revealed on the man’s sleeve. This intriguing painting within a painting is a true masterpiece of expressionism.
A Gift to a Friend
The sitter for the painting was Munch’s friend Thor Lütken, a lawyer who gave him professional help and spent summer months with him on the Oslo fjord. One of Lütken’s daughters also appears in Munch’s painting The Girls on the Bridge (1901). The portrait of Lütken was listed as “location unknown” in the definitive catalogue of Munch’s paintings, but it has now been discovered and will be unveiled at the NPG.
A Mystery Left by Munch
The hidden landscape in the Lütken portrait is a mystery left by Munch for those with sharpened minds. According to Artur Ramon, the Barcelona art dealer who sold the painting, Munch was believed to have painted it as a gift to his friend in lieu of payment for his legal services.
Symbolism and Interpretation
The exhibition’s curator, Alison Smith, said that the symbolism of the hidden landscape is open to interpretation. The figures reprise those found in Munch’s Kiss by the Window and Melancholy, while also anticipating Death and Life (1894). Painted in shades of inky blue reminiscent of his other symbolist works, the scene alludes to death as well as romance, evoking feelings on the outer edges of consciousness.
A Gift from a Friend
Sue Prideaux, a Munch biographer, said: “It’s a top-quality portrait from Munch’s most important period – the same year as Vampire and Madonna, and just a year before The Scream. The ghostly landscape with the figure in white bears echoes of many paintings, particularly Mermaid and Young Girl on a Jetty.”
A New Perspective on Munch
The NPG’s exhibition will be the first in the UK to focus exclusively on Munch’s portraits. Most of the artworks will not be known to a British audience. The exhibition will show a different side to the painter, presenting him as a social being rather than an isolated artist.
A Must-See Exhibition
The exhibition at the NPG is a must-see for art lovers and fans of Edvard Munch. With its intriguing mystery and masterful execution, this painting within a painting is sure to captivate audiences for years to come.
