Self-Portrait (Selbstbildnis)
1912
Medium
lithograph
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.9034
Art Historical Context
Edvard Munch, the Norwegian pioneer ofism, created this introspective *Self-Portrait (Selbildnis)* in 1912 as a lithograph printmaking technique he mastered to produce multiple impressions of his charged visions. Best known for *The Scream*, Munch often turned the lens inward in his self-portraits, exploring themes identity, mortality, and psychological depth. By 1912, at age 49, Munch recovered from a severe nervous breakdown channeling a more stabilized yet haunting gaze into his work, reflecting the turbulent inner life that defined his art. Lithography allowed Munch to blend drawing-like ...
About the Artist
Edvard Munch · 1863–1944
Edvard Munch (1863-1944) was a Norwegian painter and printmaker whose intensely psychological works made him a pioneer of Expressionism and one of the most influential artists of the modern era. His 1893 masterpiece 'The Scream' has become an iconic symbol of existential anxiety. Munch's art was profoundly shaped by personal tragedy—his mother died when he was five, his beloved sister Sophie at fo...