CANBERRA.- The National Gallery of Australia has been gifted a masterpiece. Man with horse by Edvard Munch marks the most significant acquisition for the national collection in the 21st century.

At the National Gallery, Munch’s Man with horse 1918 joins Jackson Pollock’s Blue poles 1952 in marking a defining moment for the national collection and Australia’s cultural heritage. This highly significant acquisition has been made possible through the generosity of Geoff Ainsworth AM.

Man with horse is an important and evocative painting by the renowned Norwegian artist, best known for The scream 1893. This striking work captures Munch’s bold use of colour, expressive brushwork and symbolist imagery, and is a powerful testament to his exploration of the human and natural worlds.

The painting is a monumental and impressive example of Munch’s work from this period, when he was working on a series of important compositions featuring his white horse named Rousseau. Most of the series features Rousseau being put to work, however Man with horse is a rare example of the artist exploring the spiritual relationship between animal and human. Pulled into the pastoral narrative through a distinctive Munch sky, vibrant greens, blues, purples and browns give the landscape a lush, dream-like quality, the swirling lines and textured layers creating a sense of movement and emotional intensity. Man with horse offers an expression of renewal and optimism in a fascinating and unexpected context, that is a contrast to the artist’s earlier explorations of dark emotional states and troubled relationships.

As one of the most influential modern painters, with a career spanning nearly 60 years, Munch’s art was integral to the Symbolism movement in Europe. He was a key influence on early 20th century Expressionists such as Max Beckmann, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Wassily Kandinsky. Man with horse reflects an important moment in art history and will enrich the national collection for future audiences. It joins several key prints by Munch in the collection and allows the National Gallery to tell a more complete story of the rise of abstraction in 20th century art.

The acquisition of a major work by Munch builds on the original vision for Australia’s National Gallery. Inaugural Director James Mollison’s purchases for the national collection in the 1970s put the institution on the map, as he brought the best of world art to Australia and championed the idea that the National Gallery should be a centre for excellence. Mollison’s ambitions for the collection included European masters not readily available in this country, and his determination led to the acquisition of works by Paul Cézanne, Kasimir Malevich, Natalia Goncharova, Constantin Brancusi, Amedeo Modigliani and Henri Matisse, amongst many others.

Before arriving in Kamberri/Canberra, Man with horse has been in private collections since 1938, and only rarely displayed in public since its creation. The work has been loaned to important Munch exhibitions in the last 60 years, most recently a major retrospective at the Hangaram Art Museum in Seoul, South Korea, Edvard Munch: Beyond the scream (2024).

Edvard Munch’s Man with horse 1918 is now on display at the National Gallery of Australia in Kamberri/Canberra.

Dr Nick Mitzevich, Director, National Gallery: ‘Edvard Munch is one of the most important and influential artists of the 20th century and a painting of his has long been sought for the national collection. The National Gallery is grateful to Geoff Ainsworth AM for his gift of this extraordinary painting which will be enjoyed by Australians now and into the future.’

Geoff Ainsworth AM: ‘It is a joy to gift Man with horse to the National Gallery of Australia, now with an enduring home in Australia’s national collection. Edvard Munch’s art is celebrated globally, so I am delighted that Australians can from today stand before this masterpiece and experience its luminous beauty and subtle complexity.’