This chapter delves into the life and work of an artist who struggled with addiction and underwent a significant transformation. It explores the impact of drugs and alcohol on the artist's life and how it influenced their art. The chapter also analyzes various paintings and highlights the artist's sense of humor and the use of symbolism in their artwork.
This is an episode of Sotheby's Talks, the podcast that celebrates art, culture, and collecting.
Edvard Munch pioneered Expressionism and embraced life’s most painful experiences to create art: his pursuit of emotional truth changed art forever. Tracey Emin, who has been a major figure in contemporary art for more than 25 years, has always been fascinated by the Norwegian master and, in 2021, she exhibited 25 of her own works alongside Munch’s oils and watercolours at the Royal Academy. In this episode originally recorded at Sotheby’s in London, Emin sat down with Sotheby’s Simon Shaw to talk about the role of women in Munch’s work and to explore why his paintings still have such a compelling hold on us today.
To see the works discussed in this episode, or to watch an extended version of this talk, visit https://sothebys.com/en/series/sothebys-talks/breathe-and-feel-suffer-and-love
To listen to all twelve episodes of Sotheby’s Talks, featuring guests including Marina Abramović, Mary McCartney, Tracey Emin, Paloma Picasso, Julianne Moore, Mary Beard, Celeste, and Helen Fielding, search Sotheby’s Talks wherever you get your podcasts.
And, to step further into the world of Sotheby’s, you can visit any of their galleries around the world; they’re open to the public. For more information, visit sothebys.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices