Edvard Munch in Dialogue with Contemporary Artists at Albertina Vienna

The Albertina Museum in Vienna presents "Edvard Munch. In Dialogue," an exhibition featuring over sixty works from Munch's mature period, alongside pieces by contemporary artists Andy Warhol, Peter Doig, Marlene Dumas, and Tracey Emin. The show explores Munch's radical break with visible reality and his focus on psychological themes like illness and fear, as seen in iconic works such as Madonna, Puberty, and The Scream. A section is dedicated to Munch's graphic production and Warhol's pop variations of Munch's lithographs in pink, neon yellow, and orange. Scottish painter Peter Doig draws on Munch's materiality and iconology of human alienation, exemplified in his painting Echo Lake, which captures meditative landscapes and a sense of melancholy. South African artist Marlene Dumas sees Munch's pessimistic worldview as a symbol of human oppression, and she parallels his experimental use of color and unfinished compositions. Tracey Emin, known for confronting personal trauma, echoes Munch's psychic decay through her video work featuring a harrowing scream. Co-curator Antonia Hoerschelmann notes that imperfection and unfinished elements are central to both Munch and Emin's visual language. Richard Shiff of the University of Texas at Austin quotes Munch: "We do not die, it is the world that dies from us," highlighting the shift from universality to solitude. The exhibition runs until June 19, 2022.