Don`t Scream When You See the «Scream»

The audience with bated breath was waiting for the king and the queen of Norway to cut the ceremonial ribbon to declare the official opening of MUNCH. The thunderous sounds of applause, emotions of joy and pride, kind smiles and feeling like a part of a big family – it was an unforgettable experience and one of the greatest days for the Norwegian culture.

The museum is named after Edvard Munch (1863 – 1944), the greatest and most famous Norwegian artist, who contributed inestimably to the development and prosperity of not only Norwegian but also world art.

MUNCH that has 13 floors is one of the largest museums in the world devoted to one particular artist. The museum`s composition consists of 26.000 works of art and includes paintings, photographs, drawings, sketches and other forms of visual art. It rises above the water of the Oslo fjord and represents the Norwegian society, its culture, its spirit – great, free, majestic.

The building was constructed under the project of architects from Spain who won a competition by proposing the most innovative ideas. It comprises in itself everything that is so important for Norwegians:

The inside of the museum strikes a visitor with its transparency – all the walls and doors are made of glass, which creates an impression of openness of art to everyone. As you go up and get to the exhibition halls, you cross the line where time stops. You find yourself in the mysterious, entrancing world of Edvard Munch`s art.

The main composition on the 4th floor is divided into the thematic sections, such as love, loneliness, grief and other topics important to the artist. It does not matter if it`s your first time, when you get acquainted with Edvard Munch and his creations or if you have been admiring the power of his talent for a long time. «Dance of life», «Anxiety», «Vampire», «Separation» ,«Ashes» and of course «Scream» – all the largest masterpieces are kept in this world class museum.

The diversity of the MUNCH`s collection will allow everyone to see how different art can be, how different Munch can be.

The museum prepared a lot of intriguing secrets and exciting surprises that would wait for you on the 7th floor. There you can see a hall representing Edvard Munch`s residence at Ekely, which can be fairly called his brain because of the dominant role this place played in his artistic and personal life. You will get familiar with his personal belongings and hear about his tragic love story that resulted in a gunshot. I don`t think it`d be fair to give you spoilers, but here`s a little teaser – many objects in that room are interactive.

Masterpieces of Edvard Munch have always been and still are a source of inspiration for admires of art. One of them is a contemporary artist from Great Britain Tracey Emin, whose controversial, provoking works you are welcome to familiarize with inside the walls of MUNCH.

In order to go around the whole museum, you will need at least 2 hours, that is why for the convenience of the visitors the building is equipped with escalators and elevators that can take you even to the skybar on the 13th floor to let you enjoy a breath-taking view on the Norwegian capital.

Don`t forget to take a look in the museum`s shop to get a scream-shaped eraser (I know I promised to avoid spoilers, sorry), a book about art or any other interesting souvenirs.

A student ticket costs 100 NOK and includes access to the whole museum and all exhibitions. MUNCH has an especially increased attendance, so better book your tickets beforehand online at https://www.munchmuseet.no/en/buy-tickets/ to guarantee admission. Follow the link for more information concerning visits.

The director of the museum Stein Olav Henrichsen said that international cooperation would be one of the most essential elements of the MUNCH`s activity. The museum would become a place, where the most talented artists representing different cultures would meet to share their creativity with others. In order to make the museum relevant and interesting for all age groups, people of all occupations and with absolutely various hobbies the employees of the museum did a fantastic job by working out strategies, plans and collecting ideas.

It was promised that every day at MUNCH would be unique. In the frames of the program «Munch live» the museum would invite representatives of different fields of art, such as opera, ballet, dance and theatre to perform in front of the audience to make their visit even more memorable. So we would like to encourage you to follow Inter Universitas` Cultural Calendar in order to be updated regarding all the workshops, experiences, performances, exhibitions and conferences at MUNCH.

«From my rotting body, flowers shall grow and I am in them, and that is eternity.» – Edvard Munch was right. His art is immortal, it will exist for ages not only on the surface of canvas, but in the flaming hearts of people, who admire his works and remember him. The museum constitutes the homage paid to Munch`s talent and the great value given to the place of art and culture in the contemporary society.

• environmental sustainability as the museum complies with all the environmental standards, and the constructors used recycled materials to ensure the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions;
• freedom of expression as the futuristic, ground-breaking visual design of the building differs significantly from other art museums worldwide;
• interconnection with the nature since due to the height of the building and the fact that it is surrounded by the sea from three sides it seems that the museum forms a part of the Norwegian nature by being integrated in the sky and water;
• ability to reflect modern realities and busy life of the big city as long as the building is located in the very centre of Oslo;
• tolerance and international cooperation.