Munch exhibition coming to NC art museum

The exhibition, "Edvard Munch: Symbolism in Print," is drawn from The Museum of Modern Art's extensive collection and features a variety of media, including etchings, drypoints, woodcuts and lithographs.

Munch is most widely known for "The Scream," which recently sold for almost $120 million. Museum officials said his prints concentrate on intensely remembered moments in his life, compelling viewers to confront themes of loneliness, lust, despair and death.

“Munch is one of the towering image makers of modern times. His works probe the turbulent, even taboo reaches of the human heart with unflinching candor and compassion,”  John Coffey, deputy director for art, said in a statement.

Munch often created several versions of the same image. For example, the exhibition features an etching and a woodcut both titled "The Kiss," depicting lovers in an embrace. In the woodcut, the two figures are fused into a single identity, which Coffey said was a terrifying notion to Munch.

In a pair of woodcuts titled "The Lonely Ones," Munch uses the same printing block carved with an image of a couple gazing out to sea. However, each print is inked in different colors, dramatically altering the emotional “temperature” of the scene.

“Walking around this gallery, you find yourself at the birth of the modern world, with all its thrills and apprehensions,” Coffey said.

The exhibition will be at the Raleigh museum from Sept. 23 to Feb. 10, 2013. Tickets are $5 for anyone 7 and up, and they go on sale Sept. 20.