Donation of Edvard Munch’s Man and horse to NGA a ‘defining moment’

The NGA says the donation of an Edvard Munch painting is its ‘most significant acquisition’ this century.

Edvard Munch’s Man with horse 1918, on display at the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra.

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National Gallery of Australia founding director James Mollison was admired for his collection-building prowess: he snapped up works by Warhol, Brancusi and Matisse, but a significant painting by Norwegian master Edvard Munch eluded him.

Now, this long-term deficiency in the national collection has been addressed, with the NGA announcing its “most significant” 21st-century acquisition – the “monumental”, multimillion-dollar Munch painting, Man with horse.

The NGA said acquiring this “masterpiece” marked a milestone in Australia’s cultural history. “Munch’s Man with horse 1918 joins Jackson Pollock’s Blue poles 1952 in marking a defining moment for the national collection,’’ the gallery said.

Current NGA director Nick Mitzevich told The Australian the acquisition was the culmination of a 50-year aspiration. He said: “Since 1973 the National Gallery has wanted to add an Edvard Munch painting to the national collection. Founding National Gallery director James Mollison started the search – however (he) never found the right one.

NGA director Nick Mitzevich. Picture: Rohan Thomson

“Munch is one of the most important artists of the 20th century and this historic acquisition of Man with horse speaks to the original vision for the national collection, some 50 years after it was first established.’’

In 2012, a pastel version of Munch’s best known work, The Scream (1895), sold for almost $US120m at Sotheby’s in New York, setting a then-world record for a work of art sold at auction.

Man with horse was gifted to the NGA by arts philanthropist Geoff Ainsworth, who said it was “a joy” to donate the painting and give it “an enduring home in Australia’s national collection’’.

Mitzevich said the NGA was “grateful to Geoff Ainsworth AM for his gift of this extraordinary painting which will be enjoyed by Australians now and into the future’’.

Created in 1918, Man with horse was part of a series featuring Munch’s white horse, which he named Rousseau.

An NGA spokeswoman declined to say how much Man with horse was worth, because it was a gift and out of “respect (for) the donor’s privacy’’.

Renowned for his skill at capturing the anxieties of everyday existence, Munch painted works that were central to Europe’s Symbolist movement.

Created in 1918, Man with horse was part of a series featuring Munch’s white horse, which he named Rousseau. According to the NGA, “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’’.

The painting has been in private collections since 1938 and, while it rarely went on public display, it was recently shown at a Munch retrospective at Seoul’s Hangaram Art Museum.

Man with horse will complement several prints by Munch that are held by the NGA.