The Sick Child
1885–1886 · Oil on canvas · National Museum of Norway, Oslo
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About this work
- Artist
- Edvard Munch (1863–1944)
- Year
- 1885–1886
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Original size
- 120 × 118.5 cm
- Collection
- National Museum of Norway, Oslo
- Movement
- Expressionism
A pale, red-haired girl sits propped against a white pillow and looks towards a woman in black whose head is bowed beside her, their hands joined between them; a bottle stands on a dresser at the left and a glass at the right. The surface is scraped, scratched and built up in layers, as if Munch stopped mid-process. The picture is often linked to the death of his sister Sophie from tuberculosis in 1877. Shown at the 1886 Autumn Exhibition as Study, it met outrage and acclaim and is seen as his breakthrough. This first version reached the National Museum in 1931.
This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
Muted greens, greys and a flash of red hair give a quiet, grave picture for a study, reading room or library rather than a lively space. Hang it with Interior, Sunlight on the Floor by Hammershøi at 16×24 in a dark wood frame.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Expressionism painting
- Era
- 19th century (1885–1886)
- Orientation
- Portrait
- Mood
- classic
- Rooms
- study or library, living room, dining room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 16×24. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.
Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — dark wood flatters the lighter palette; black sharpens it.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is The Sick Child in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was The Sick Child painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
An exhibition poster
The same artwork as a gallery exhibition poster — title, artist & date typeset beneath the image on a soft ground.
