The Royal Academy of Arts is set to present an exhibition that will bring together the work of British artist Tracey Emin RA and the Norwegian Expressionist Edvard Munch.  

Having been inspired by the Norwegian artist, Tracey Emin has selected some of the artist’s works to be displayed alongside her own. It will include around 25 works by Emin, including paintings, some of which will be on display for the first time, as well neons and sculpture.

Each piece that Emin has selected from her own work will sit alongside a selection of 19 oil paintings and watercolours by Munch, drawn from the rich collection and archives of the Munch Museet in Oslo, Norway. 

Spread across three galleries, the exhibition will interlink both artist’s work to explore how despite being separated by time and history they explore the same emotional landscape in their works.

As she was developing her own skills as an artist, Emin was drawn to the expressionism of paintings by both Edvard Munch and Egon Schiele, their concerns in exploring the complex human condition and tortured psyche echoing many of her own burgeoning tendencies. 

This new display is set to concentrate on themes of grief, loss and longing. The selection of works included in the exhibition is set to include well-known works such as The Death of Marat, 1907 (Munch Museet, Oslo), It – didnt stop – I didnt stop, 2019, You were here like the ground underneath my feet and Because you left.

The exhibition is being organised  with the Munch Museet, Oslo and in close collaboration with Tracey Emin. It is curated by Kari Brandtzæg at the Munch Museet and Edith Devaney at the Royal Academy of Arts. Following on from the Royal Academy, the exhibition will open in the Munch Museet’s new building in Spring 2021.

Tracey Emin/Edvard Munch: The Loneliness of the Soul will be on display at the Royal Academy of Arts from the 15th November until the 28th February.