Munch's Madonna on sale

One of the earliest known hand-coloured impressions of Edvard Munch's Madonna, is being offered for sale at Bonhams Print sale on July 13, 2010, with an estimated price of $500,000. The museum quality impression, which has never been seen in public, is...

One of the earliest known hand-coloured impressions of Edvard Munch's Madonna, is being offered for sale at Bonhams Print sale on July 13, 2010, with an estimated price of $500,000. The museum quality impression, which has never been seen in public, is signed and dated 1895, the year of its creation.

The artist reworked his original concept several times between 1895 and 1902 and the image exists in seven distinct states.

This print is from the very first state and is, arguably, the earliest hand-coloured impression. It shows the Madonna in yellow and white set against a halo of blue, green and red. The central figure is surrounded by a border containing spermatozoa and a foetus in a vivid blood red.

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