Blood, skeletons and syphilis: the story of Edvard Munch’s obsession with health

An exhibition at the Munch Museum in Oslo, titled "Lifeblood," explores Edvard Munch's lifelong obsession with health and medicine by juxtaposing his paintings, drawings, and prints with historical medical objects. The show opens with Munch's painting "On the Operating Table" (1902-3), inspired by a bullet removal surgery after a dispute with his fiancée Tulla Larsen, paired with an early x-ray of his injured hand. It features works like "The Sick Child" (1885-6) alongside tuberculosis-related artifacts such as stethoscopes, sputum bottles, and a jar of arsenic, drawing from Munch's personal experiences with illness and his family's medical background—his father and brother were doctors.