For Immediate Release
May 23, 2023
CLARK ART INSTITUTE SCREENS
NEW NORWEGIAN FILM MUNCH
Williamstown, Massachusetts—On Saturday, June 17 at 6 pm, the Clark Art Institute screens Munch, the 2023 Norwegian biopic of the revered Norwegian artist, Edvard Munch. The screening is presented by Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken, the film’s director and one of the lead actors. A Q&A with Dahlsbakken follows the screening. The presentation takes place in the Clark’s auditorium, located in the Manton Research Center, and is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Edvard Munch: Trembling Earth, opening June 10.
Munch (Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken; 1 hour, 45 minutes), which opened the 2023 International Film Festival in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, has its North American debut simultaneously at the Clark and in New York City. Four different actors embody different periods in Munch’s life, creating a kaleidoscopic portrait of the visionary artist. This dizzying film also pays homage to the new Munchmuseet in Norway.
Edvard Munch: Trembling Earth is the first exhibition in the United States to consider how the noted Norwegian artist Edvard Munch (1863–1944) employed nature to convey meaning in his art. Munch is regarded primarily as a figure painter, and his most celebrated images (including his iconic The Scream) are connected to themes of love, anxiety, longing, and death. Yet, landscape plays an essential role in a large portion of Munch’s work. Edvard Munch: Trembling Earth considers this important, but less explored aspect of the artist’s career.
Trembling Earth features more than seventy-five objects, ranging from brilliantly hued landscapes and three stunning self-portraits, to an extensive selection of his innovative prints and drawings, including a lithograph of Munch's most celebrated work, The Scream. The exhibition includes more than thirty works from the Munchmuseet’s world-renowned collection, major pieces from other museums in the USA and Europe, and nearly forty paintings, prints, and drawings from private collections, many of which are rarely exhibited.
Free; no registration is required. For more information, visit clarkart.edu/events.
Edvard Munch: Trembling Earth is co-organized by the Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts; the Museum Barberini, Potsdam, Germany; and Munchmuseet, Oslo, Norway, and curated by Jay A. Clarke, Rothman Family Curator, Art Institute of Chicago; Jill Lloyd, independent curator; and Trine Otte Bak Nielsen, curator, Munchmuseet. Generous funding for presentation at the Clark and Munchmuseet is provided by the Asbjorn Lunde Foundation, Inc.
Edvard Munch: Trembling Earth is made possible by Diane and Andreas Halvorsen. Major funding is provided by Carol and Richard Seltzer, with additional support from Lady Gibbons, Robert D. Kraus, the S & L Marx Foundation, and the Norwegian Consulate General, New York. This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.
ABOUT THE CLARK
The Clark Art Institute, located in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, is one of a small number of institutions globally that is both an art museum and a center for research, critical discussion, and higher education in the visual arts. Opened in 1955, the Clark houses exceptional European and American paintings and sculpture, extensive collections of master prints and drawings, English silver, and early photography. Acting as convener through its Research and Academic Program, the Clark gathers an international community of scholars to participate in a lively program of conferences, colloquia, and workshops on topics of vital importance to the visual arts. The Clark library, consisting of some 300,000 volumes, is one of the nation’s premier art history libraries. The Clark also houses and co-sponsors the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art.
The Clark, which has a three-star rating in the Michelin Green Guide, is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Its 140-acre campus includes miles of hiking and walking trails through woodlands and meadows, providing an exceptional experience of art in nature. Galleries are open 10 am to 5 pm Tuesday through Sunday, from September through June, and daily in July and August. Admission is free January through March and is $20 from March through December; admission is free year-round for Clark members, all visitors age 21 and under, and students with a valid student ID. Free admission is also available through several programs, including First Sundays Free; a local library pass program; and EBT Card to Culture. For information on these programs and more, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303.
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