Edvard Munch Portraits

at the National Portrait Gallery 

until 15 June 

Edvard Munch is one of those artists who never ceases to intrigue. His penetration of the human spirit mark him as a contemporary of Freud, and yet his concerns also prefigure those of the Existentialists in the second half of the 20th Century. You could even argue that his vision has the same sense of darkness as a modern Scandi-noir thriller... 

His work remains popular, and yet its apparent exaggeration of heightened states of being has often led his portraiture to be overlooked: how could he be painting what people really looked like? Nevertheless, he was one of the great portraitists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His razor-sharp perception of character, his richly coloured palette and free, painterly style were deployed to superb effect. Not only that, but the portraits are displayed great effect, allowing both high drama and intimate subtlety. In the first few weeks since it opened the National Portrait Gallery's exhibition has proved to be very popular, and promises to remain so for the rest of the run.