FORIMMEDIATERELEASE MediaContacts: February20,2013 AnneEdgar,AnneEdgarAssociates

anne@anneedgar.com,646.336.7230 KateErickson,ScandinaviaHouse,

munchwarhol@amscan.org,212.847.9717

MUNCHANDWARHOL:SCANDINAVIAHOUSEUP‐ENDSCONVENTIONALWISDOMONTWOARTICONS

NewYork—BeginningSaturday,April27,TheAmerican‐

ScandinavianFoundation(ASF)atScandinaviaHouse:TheNordic

CenterinAmericaoffersintriguingnewinsightsintotheoeuvresof

twoartistswhowouldseemtohavelittleincommonasidefrom

havingbeenextensivelyresearchedaroundtheworldand

posthumouslyenshrinedinartandculture,highandlow.

OnviewthroughSaturday,July27,2013,MUNCH|WARHOLandthe

MultipleImagepairsfin‐de‐sièclelithographsbyEdvard

Munchwithlarge‐scalescreenprintsbyAndyWarhol.Thethrilling,

Day‐GlohuedworksmadebyWarhol,afterMunch,inthemid‐1980s

willsurprisemanyvisitors:whileknowntoexperts,theserieswas

neverwasneverpublishedasanedition,nordisplayed

comprehensivelyintheU.S.

MUNCH|WARHOLhasbeenco‐organizedbyoneoftheworld’sauthoritiesonMunch,PatriciaG.

Berman,professorofarthistoryatWellesleyCollegeandtheUniversityofOslo,incollaboration

withPariStave,consultingcuratortoScandinaviaHouse,aspartofMunch150,aninternational

celebrationin2013markingthe150thanniversaryofMunch’sbirth.MUNCH|WARHOListhe

onlyMunch150projectintheUnitedStates.

AndyWarhol(1928‐1987)TheScream(AfterMunch),1984.Screenprint on Lenox Museum Board, 40x32in.(101.6x81.28cm)TheAndyWarholMuseum,Pittsburgh,FoundingCollection,ContributionofTheAndyWarholFoundationfortheVisualArts,Inc.1998.1.2546©2013TheAndyWarholFoundationfortheVisualArts,Inc./ArtistsRightsSociety(ARS),NewYork

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“ThisexhibitionisperfectlytimedtohonorNorway’sEdvardMunch,anartistwhosepaintingswere

firstdisplayedinthiscountryinScandinavianArtExhibitionof1912,alandmarkexhibition

organizedbyTheAmerican‐ScandinavianFoundation,”notesEdwardP.Gallagher,Presidentofthe

ASF.“ItisgratifyingtoseetheFoundationcontinuetocontributetotheappreciationofMunch

morethanacenturylater.”

MUNCH|WARHOLfindsasurprisinglyclosealignmentbetweentwoartistswhomightotherwise

seemtooccupyutterlydifferentplanetsbyfocusingontheirvariationsonfourfamousMunch

motifs—TheScream,Madonna,Self‐PortraitwithSkeletonArm,andTheBrooch.Eva

Mudocci.“EventhoughWarholofferedhimselfupasallsurface,andMunch,allimpenetrable

depth,thisexhibitionfindsmanysimilaritiesinthewaysinwhichthetwoartistsbuilttheircareers

bycarefullycontrollingtheirpublicpersonasandartisticproduction,”remarksDr.Berman.

“Munch’shabitofrepeatingmotifshasbeenunderstoodtobepromptedbycompulsionand

anxiety,”continuesDr.Berman.“Butitalsohelpedhimgetthroughdryperiods,whenheneeded

money,andwasastrategyheusedtoreassurehisaudienceasheexperimentedwithnew

styles.Farfrombeinganisolate,Munchwasverymuchincontrolofhiscareer,demandingand

winningtherighttosequencehisworksinexhibitionandkeepingholdofthereinsonthesellingof

hisart.”

“The31printsonviewhereinviteaclosereadingofthecraftofprintmakingitself,aswellas

meditationonwhatisanoriginalandwhatisacopy,”saysDr.Berman.“Thevisitorwillfindrare

examplesbyMunchshowcasinghisdelicatehand‐tintinganduseofdiaphanousJapanpaperas

wellaslarge‐scaleprintsbyWarholillustratinghisuseofa‘rainbowroll,’theeffectthatemerges

whenasqueegeeispulledacrossasilkscreen,creatingmulti‐coloredlinesthatlooklikevaricolored

yarn.”

Oneoftheexhibition’shighlights,Munch’strialproofforSelf‐PortraitwithSkeletonArm(1895),

whichhasneverbeforebeenseenintheU.S.,exemplifieshowthenatureofprintmakinginforms

themeaningoftheseworks.Fortheself‐portrait,Munchdrewdirectlyonalithographicstone,and

oncetheimagewasprintedonpaper,handpainteditsbackground.Theresultisamore

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conventionalself‐portraitthanevolvedinsubsequentiterations:thelater,andmorefamiliar,

versionintheexhibitiondepictsMunchasafacefloatinginthecenterofapoolofblackdarkness.

InWarhol’shands,thevariationscontinued,includingeightdiptychsonviewintheexhibition

pairingMunch’sMadonnaandSelf‐PortraitwithSkeletonArm.Here,Munch’siconictemptress

framedwithapatternofundulatingspermandafetus‐likeshape,andtherestrainedself‐portrait,

arenowbroughttogetherasanimprobablycouple.Viewerswillseehow,afterWarhol’smaster

printerRupertJasonSmithprintedthesilkscreen,WarholinterpretedMunch’sdelicatelydrawn

linesasstrongdecorativeformsinSelf‐PortraitwithSkeleton’sArm,perhapsinparttoechothe

swirlsandverticallinesoftheMadonna.

MUNCH|WARHOLdevotesasectiontothatmostfamousofculturalicons,TheScream(1895),

showinghowWarholinonecaseblewuptheimagetonearlyfivefeetandinsevenversions

pushedittothebrinkoffeelingandvisualdissolution.Despitehisstanceofsuperficiality,Warhol

seemstohavedevotedanunusualamountofefforttocreatingvariationsonTheScreamthat

intensifiedthealreadycombustibleemotionoftheoriginal.Heexperimentedwithjuxtaposinghot

colorswithcool;printingintentionallyoutofregister,endowingthescreamwithanear‐physical

vibration;andtracingMunch’slines,whilestrippingtheimageoftones,sothattheiconicfigure

becameincreasinglydisembodied.

“WhenWarholwascommissionedtoappropriateMunch’smotifs,onemasterofrepetitionand

multiplicationtookonanother.Hislarge‐scaleprintsbothparodyandhonortheNorwegianartist’s

work,oscillatingbetweensurfaceanddepth,experimentandproductionline,anddisclosureand

effacement,”saysDr.Berman.

Publication

MUNCH|WARHOLwillbeaccompaniedbyafullyillustratedcatalogue,available

nationwide.FeaturinganessaybyDr.BermanandPariStave’sinterviewwithartdealerRoland

Augustine,formerco‐directorofGalleriBellman,whichcommissionedtheWarholproject.The

catalogueispublishedbytheASFanddistributedintheUnitedStatesbyD.A.P.

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Organization&Support

MUNCH|WARHOLandtheMultipleImagewasmadepossiblebycontributionsfromtheRoyal

NorwegianConsulateGeneralinNewYork,Mr.andMrs.TrondS.Jensen,KjerstiandBerntReitan,

NelsonBlitz,Jr.andCatherineWoodard,theBårdandBarbaraBunaesFamilyFund,andBente

SvensenFrantz.AdditionalsupporthascomefromTheBarbroOsherProSueciaFoundation’s

generousgrantforScandinaviaHouseculturalprogramsandexhibitions,aswellasTheF.Donald

KenneyFundfortheVisualArtsandTheNorwegianCentennialCulturalFundofTheAmerican‐

ScandinavianFoundation.TransportationofartworksfromNorwaywasprovidedbySAS

ScandinavianAirlines.Theexhibition’scompanioncataloguehasbeenmadepossiblebyagrant

fromtheFrittOrdFoundation.

TheAmerican‐ScandinavianFoundation& ScandinaviaHouse:TheNordicCenterinAmerica

IncorporatedinNewYorkStatein1911,theASFistheleadingculturalandeducationallink

betweentheU.S.andtheNordiccountries.Itisapublicly‐supported,non‐profit501(c)(3)

organizationthatprovidesaforumfortheexchangeofideasandculturalunderstandingandhasan

extensiveprogramoffellowships,grants,internships/trainingprograms,publishing,membership

offerings,andculturalactivities.

ScandinaviaHouse–hometotheASF–offersawiderangeofprogramspresentingcontemporary

Nordicculturethatencompassesthevisualarts,music,andliteraturealongwithpublicpolicy,

business,finance,andtechnology.Theseprogramsincludeart,design,andhistoricalexhibitionsas

wellasfilms,concerts,readings,lectures,symposia,languagecourses,andkidsandfamily

programsthatillustrateandilluminatethemodern‐dayvitalityoftheNordiccountries.Scandinavia

Houseislocatedat58ParkAvenue,at38thStreet,NewYorkCity.3rdFloorGalleryhoursare

TuesdaythroughSaturday,12to6pm(Wednesdayuntil7pm).Galleryadmissionis$5($3Seniors

&StudentswithavalidID;FreeforASFMembers).Formoreinformation,

visit:scandinaviahouse.org,amscan.org,Facebook,Twitter,YouTube.

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