Felix Auerbach by Edvard Munch, 1906 © Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)

LONDON - Widely regarded as one of the great portraitists of the 19th and 20th centuries, Edvard Munch consistently produced intimate portraits of family, friends, lovers, writers, artists, patrons and collectors, together with an extraordinary range of self-portraits. With energetic brushstrokes, bold colour and a direct sense of engagement with the sitter, these works have had a strong influence on the portrait genre.

Edvard Munch Portraits will be the first exhibition in the UK to focus on this important, but sometimes overlooked, aspect of the artist’s work. The exhibition will show how Munch painted portraits as commissions and for personal reasons, with many pictures doubling up as icons or examples of the human condition despite being based on the direct observation of named individuals.

Self-Portrait, 1882–83 by Edvard Munch. Oil on unprimed cardboard. Photo: Fredrik Birkelund / Oslo Museum

Andreas Munch Studying Anatomy, 1886,  by Edvard Munch. Photo: Juri Kobayashi; © Munchmuseet

Hans Jæger, 1889 by Edvard Munch © Nasjonalmuseet for kunst, arkitektur og design, The Fine Art Collections. Photo: Nasjonalmuseet/Børre Høstland.

The Brooch. Eva Mudocci. Eva Mudocci (1872−1953), 1902 by Edvard Munch. Lithograph. © Private collection courtesy Peder Lund

Portrait of the Painter Ludvig Karsten 1905, oil on canvas by Edvard Munch © Photographer: Tord Lund / Thielska Galleriet

Jappe Nilssen, 1909, by Edvard Munch. Photo: Juri Kobayashi; © Munchmuseet

Käte and Hugo Perls, 1913 by Edvard Munch © Foto Munchmuseet / Ove Kvavik

Seated Model on the Couch (Birgit Prestøe), 1924, oil on canvas, by Edward Munch, © Munch Museum.