Edvard Munch: Spiritualism, Science, and Color

Valerie Hellstein, independent scholar, and Elizabeth Prelinger, Keyser Family Professor of Art History and Modern Art, Georgetown University, in conversation with Mollie Berger, curatorial assistant, department of prints and drawings, National Gallery of Art. This conversation, held on September 10, 2017, in conjunction with the exhibition Edvard Munch: Color in Context, aims to connect the highly charged and personal art of Edvard Munch (1863–1944) with contemporary notions of spirituality. Mollie Berger, Valerie Hellstein, and Elizabeth Prelinger explore how theosophy influenced Munch’s art, specifically his use of color. In addition, the discussion examines the ways in which advances in various scientific fields impacted the spread of spiritualism and how artists responded to these cultural shifts. Edvard Munch: Color in Context is on view at the National Gallery of Art from September 3, 2017, through January 28, 2018.