Mermaid

Gallery 259, European Art 1850-1900, second floor (Pollack Gallery)

Main Building

Mermaid

1896

Edvard Munch (Norwegian, 1863–1944)

Edvard Munch painted Mermaid during an extended stay in Paris in 1896-97, upon receiving a commission for a large-scale decorative work from Axel Heiberg, a Norwegian industrialist. This striking image of a mermaid in the process of transforming into a woman reflects the artist's interest in Symbolism (an artistic and literary movement aimed at eliciting emotional responses from the viewer or reader) and in the themes of metamorphosis, desire, and anxiety. Munch devised the picture's unique trapezoidal format in response to Heiberg's intention to hang the mural just below the sloping rafters of a stair hall in his home in Lysaker, Norway.

Gallery 259, European Art 1850-1900, second floor (Pollack Gallery)

Object Details

Title:

Mermaid

Date:

1896

Artist:

Edvard Munch (Norwegian, 1863–1944)

Medium:

Oil on canvas

Dimensions:

Trapezoidal format: 39 1/2 inches × 18 feet 1 1/2 inches (100.3 × 552.5 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

Gift of Barbara B. and Theodore R. Aronson, 2003

Accession Number:

2003-1-1

Geography:

Made in Paris, France, Europe

Provenance

We are always open to learning more about our collections and updating the website. Does this record contain inaccurate information or language that you feel we should improve or change? Contact us here.

Please note that this particular artwork might not be on view when you visit. Don’t worry—we have plenty of exhibitions for you to explore.

Gallery 259, European Art 1850-1900, second floor (Pollack Gallery)

Main Building

Museum map