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.
This exhibition matters because it reframes Munch's well-known depictions of illness and death within the context of his direct, lived encounters with medical developments of his time, such as x-rays, germ theory, and anesthesia. By connecting his art to tangible objects from healthcare history, "Lifeblood" offers a fresh perspective on how personal trauma and scientific innovation shaped his work, while also resonating with contemporary audiences in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. It underscores the interplay between art, medicine, and human vulnerability.