Tracey Emin x Edvard Munch: The Loneliness of the Soul

The Royal Academy of Arts is presenting a landmark exhibition bringing together for the first time the work of acclaimed British artist Tracey Emin RA (b.1963) and the Norwegian Expressionist Edvard Munch (1863-1944), two internationally renowned artists born 100 years apart.

The exhibition will feature around 25 works by Emin, including paintings, some of which will be on display for the first time, as well neons and sculpture. These have been chosen by Emin to sit alongside a carefully considered selection of 19 oil paintings and watercolours by Munch, drawn from the rich collection and archives of MUNCH in Oslo, Norway.

In her formative years as an artist, Emin was drawn to the expressionism of paintings by both Edvard Munch and Egon Schiele, their concerns in exploring the complex human condition and tortured psyche echoing many of her own burgeoning tendencies. In particular, ‘The Loneliness of the Soul’ will focus on themes of grief, loss and longing. Emin has focused on a group of Munch’s works which explore his complex relationship with the female sex. Early tragic events including the death of his mother when he was only five years old, followed a few years later by his beloved sister, and then a series of doomed love affairs, all contributed to this uneasy connection. The works on display highlight his fascination with the depiction of women, their emotional states and the process of ageing.

This selection will include well-known works such as The Death of Marat, 1907 (MUNCH Oslo). Referencing the subject of Jacques-Louis David’s famous painting of 1793 which bears the sametitle, Munch may have been considering his legacy in addition to exploring traditional complex attitudes towards women. The revolutionary Marat was murdered by Charlotte Corday, who feared Long fascinated and inspired by Edvard Munch’s work, Tracey Emin will choose a selection of his masterpieces to accompany her own works.

The exhibition will interweave the works of both artists across all three galleries, demonstrating that Emin and Munch, though separated by time and history, explore the same emotional landscape in their works with remarkable intensity. exploration of emotions in his work had an enduring appeal to Emin, who saw him as ‘a friend in art’, Munch’s confrontation and and as early as 1982 was directly referencing the artist in her work.

Exhibition opens from 7 December through to  28 February 2020 - book tickets here