Director Ludvig Didrichsen
1916
Medium
lithograph in brownish-black on laid paper
Dimensions
image: 62.23 × 52.07 cm (24 1/2 × 20 1/2 in.) sheet: 75.25 × 56.52 cm (29 5/8 × 22 1/4 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of The Epstein Family Collection
Accession Number
2016.6.2
Art Historical Context
Edvard Munch's *Director Ludvig Didrich* (1916) is a striking lithograph portrait that captures the essence of its subject—a prominent figure likely in cultural or institutional leadership—through the Norwegian artist's signature expressive style. Created during World War I, when Munch was in his fifties and reflecting deeply on human psychology, this work exemplifies his shift toward more introspective portraiture after iconic pieces like *The Scream*. Munch, a pioneer of Expressionism, used bold lines and emotional intensity to convey inner states, here rendering Didrichsen with a contemplat...
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...