About
- Edvard Munch bestandskatalog
Munch produced several double portraits in the period around 1900, often of couples. In the painting of Aase and Harald Nørregaard, he highlights the relationship between the two by portraying the woman's face as active and frontal and that of the man in profile. They look beyond each other while also engaging in dialogue.
Aase (b. Aasta Carlsen, 1869--1908) and Harald Nørregaard (1864--1938) married in 1889. To avoid confusion with Aasta Nørregaard, an already well-established painter, the former changed her first name to Aase. Aase was a fellow painter who had been befriended with Munch since the 1880s. She and Harald maintained close contacts with Munch and several other artists. Over the years, they built up a significant art collection that contained several works by Munch, including this double portrait, the portrait of Aase alone, a self-portrait, and The Sick Child (The National Museum, NG.M.01793, NG.M.01915, NG.M.00839).
Harald Nørregaard studied law and became a Supreme Court lawyer. In 1894-95 he fought and won a case on Munch's behalf against the lawyer Ludvig Meyer, who wished to cancel a commission for a portrait of his children. Later, Nørregaard assisted Munch both financially and in other private matters on a number of occasions. In 1892, after several years in Stavanger, the couple moved to Kristiania, where Harald became a barrister and established a law firm.
In a letter dated 1 June 1935, Harald Nørregaard offered to donate a double portrait to the National Gallery, together with the portrait of Aase. The letter states that the gift was made at the request of Munch, who wanted both works to accrue to the National Gallery. It is mentioned that, on making the request, Munch had described the double portrait as an "anthem to [their] marriage" (National Museum's documentation archive, j.no. 3/135).
Øystein Ustvedt
The text was first published in Edvard Munch in the National Museum. A comprehensive overview (Oslo: National Museum, 2022).
- Creation date:
- 1899
- Other titles:
- Aase og Harald Nørregaard (NOR)
- Object type:
- Painting
- Materials and techniques:
- Olje på papplate
- Material:
- Papplate
- Dimensions:
- Width: 75 cm
- Height: 49.5 cm
- Keywords:
- Visual art
- Classification:
- 532 - Bildende kunst
- Motif:
- Double portrait
- Motif - type:
- Portrait
- Motif - person:
- Nørregaard, Harald (depicted person), Nørregaard, Aase (depicted person)
- Inventory no.:
- NG.M.01794
- Cataloguing level:
- Single object
- Inscriptions:
- Primary, Signature and dating, nede venstre: E. Munch 1899
- Acquisition:
- Gift from Harald Nørregaard 1935
- Owner and collection:
- Nasjonalmuseet for kunst, arkitektur og design, The Fine Art Collections
- Photo:
- Børre Høstland
- Hansen, Vibeke Waallann, et al. Edvard Munch i Nasjonalmuseet: en samlet oversikt. Redigert av Ustvedt, Øystein, et al. Oslo: Nasjonalmuseet, 2022. kat.nr. 39.
- Smith, Alison. «Edvard Munchs dobbeltportretter», i «I oss er verdener», utstillingskatalog, 2019. 65–6.
- Woll, Gerd. Edvard Munch: Samlede malerier: B. 2: 1898-1908. Oslo: Cappelen Damm, 2008. kat.nr. 458.
- Rutkowski, Eva. Edvard Munch’s Frauen: Frauendarstellung in der frühen Gemälden des norwegischen Malers Edvard Munch. Saarbrücken: Wdm Müller, 2008. 55.
- Eggum, Arne. Edvard Munch. Portretter. Utstillingskatalog. Oslo: Munchmuseet og Labyrinth Press, 1994. 89.
- Nasjonalgalleriet, red. Norske malerier. Katalog. Oslo, 1992. 342.
- Heller, Reinhold. Munch: his life and work. London: John Murray, 1984. 167.
- Nasjonalgalleriet, red. Katalog over norsk malerkunst: med 158 illustrasjoner. Oslo, 1968. kat.nr. 1288.
- Langaard, Ingrid Lindbäck. Edvard Munch. Modningsår. En studie i tidlig ekspresjonisme og symbolisme. Oslo: Gyldendal, 1960. 394.
- Nasjonalgalleriet, red. Katalog over norsk malerkunst. Oslo, 1950. kat.nr. 1071.
- Thiis, Jens. Edvard Munch og hans samtid: Slekten, livet og kunsten, geniet. Oslo: Gyldendal, 1933. 232, 280.
- Nasjonalgalleriet, red. Edvard Munch. Utstillingskatalog. Oslo, 1927. kat.nr. 111.
Nasjonalmuseet's collection catalogue is a living resource of information gathered since the 1830's. Some records may contain language or ideas that today could be perceived as outdated, offensive or discriminatory with regard to for instance gender, sexuality, ethnicity or disability, and that may be at odds with the museum's values regarding equality and diversity.
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If you would like more information about specific objects in the collection or about objects that haven't been published online, please contact the museum. You can read more about how we work with the collection and our cataloguing practice here.
Other works by Edvard Munch
The Day AfterEdvard Munch(1894)
Inger in Black and VioletEdvard Munch1892
Thorvald LøchenEdvard Munch1918
House with Red Virginia CreeperEdvard MunchAntagelig mellom 1898 og 1899
Tupsy JebeEdvard Munch1896
Workers Returning HomeEdvard Munch1920
Seated NudeEdvard Munch(1913)
Study for a PortraitEdvard Munch1887
Scene from BygdøyEdvard MunchCirka 1881
WomanEdvard MunchCirka 1894
Two Children by the Window; Fighting couple and a Devil; Girl seeing a Devil's FeetEdvard MunchCirka 1884
AshesEdvard Munch(1895)


















































