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 exhibition-poster edition shows the whole work beneath original typography set in-house. 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
- Exhibition poster of a Expressionism painting
- Era
- 19th century (1885–1886)
- Orientation
- Portrait
- Palette
- cream & beige
- Mood
- classic
- Rooms
- study or library, living room, dining room, dorm room, hallway or entryway
- 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. Exhibition posters sit best in a slim black frame with no mat — the typeset margin is the mat.
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
A fine-art print
The same artwork as a clean fine-art print — the image shown large with a minimal caption.
