Edvard Munch

Rolf Stenersen (acquired from the artist)
Thence by descent to the present owner

Oslo, Kunstnernes hus, Kragerø (no. 35); Kunstforening & Stavanger, Kunstforening, Edvard Munch fra Rolf Stenersen Samling, 1936, no. 34
Stockholm, Konstakademien, Edvard Munch, 1937, no. 64
Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, Edvard Munch, 1937, no. 65
Copenhagen, Kunstforeningen (no. 46) & Stockholm, Riksförbundet för bildande konst, Norsk Konst ur Samling, 1946-47, no. 43
Oslo, Kunstnernes Hus, Rolf Sternersens samling, 1948, no. 77
Oslo, Munch Museum,  Edvard Munch Portretter, 1994, no. 146, illustrated in colour in the catalogue
Oslo, Stenersenmuseet, Stenersens Munch, 2003-04

Painted in 1935, the present work is a double portrait of Rolf Stenersen's two young sons. Two further oils of the same subject painted at the same time are in the Munch-museet, Oslo.

Describing Munch's eccentricities, Rolf Stenersen has written a vivid account of how Munch painted his sons: 'When he was to paint my two boys - then six and ten years old - he arrived by taxi and insisted on staying right in the car during sketching. Eventually, however, he moved into the garden to continue his work there, keeping up a continuous monologue while he put up his canvas, arranged paints and brushes, and laid out the picture. After a while, the youngest of the boys - finding it impossible to stand still - stepped out of his position and left, and shortly thereafter the other followed suit. Munch painted and chatted and never took his eyes off the canvas: "you're good boys to stand there as nicely as you do. Now, take the children I painted the other day, they didn't stand for a single moment - they even began to throw stones. But you're standing there so nicely. Well, look at that - that was a lucky stroke. I feel sure this is going to be good. You certainly are nice boys. Now the other ones - I wanted two thousand kroner for the picture. 'Two thousand kroner' said the father, 'for two hours?' 'Twenty years and two hours,' I replied. He took me to court on it... Now we'll add a little red here. My word you're good boys. Look at that one - he's like a nobleman, isn't he? The other one looks like a face at the farmer's market". He finished the picture - it did not matter that the boys had run out on him' (Rolf E. Stenersen, op. cit., Oslo, 2001, pp. 38 & 39).