This important publication accompanies a major exhibition at The Courtauld Gallery, London, of paintings by Edvard Munch, one of the world's greatest modern artists. The exhibition and catalogue showcase 18 major works from the collection of KODE Art Museums in Bergen. The works span the most significant part of Munch's artistic development and have never before been shown as a group outside of Scandinavia. KODE houses one of the most important collections of paintings by Edvard Munch (1863-1944) in the world. The collection was assembled at the beginning of the 20th century by the Norwegian industrialist, mill owner and philanthropist Rasmus Meyer (1858-1916), who was one of the first significant early collectors of Munch's work. Meyer knew Munch personally and was astute in acquiring major canvases by the artist that chart his artistic development. Edvard Munch: Masterpieces from Bergen explores this group of remarkable works in detail and considers the important role of Rasmus Meyer as a collector. The exhibition and publication include seminal paintings from Munch's early 'realist' phase of the 1880s, such as Morning (1884), which was made when the artist was just twenty years old, and Summer Night (1889), a pivotal work that shows the artist's move towards the expressive and psychologically charged work for which he became famous. These paintings launched Munch's career and set the stage for his renowned, highly expressive paintings of the 1890s when his compositions became powerful projections of his emotions and imaginative states. Such works are a major feature of the exhibition that includes remarkable canvases from Munch's famous 'Frieze of Life' series, such as Evening on Karl Johan (1892), Melancholy (1894-96) and At the Death Bed (1895). Through his 'Frieze of Life' works, Munch intended to address profound themes of human existence, from love to death. The artist used his own experiences as source material to make visceral depictions of the human psyche, which he hoped would help others understand their own life. Munch's powerful use of colour and form to convey his subjects marked him out as one of the most radical painters at the turn of the 20th century. This fully illustrated publication includes a catalogue of the works, with contributions by leading experts in their fi eld from KODE and The Courtauld.

The exhibition 'ART IN BATTLE' deals with battles over art initiated by Nazi policies and European conquests on several arenas. Expounding the problems of the overfamiliar dichotomy of Degenerate versus Great German art, it examines propaganda exhibitions in occupied Norway as well as hitherto unseen art by soldiers stationed in Norway. This exceptional catalogue both documents this ground-breaking show and assembles leading experts on the history and ideology of Nazi cultural campaigns in both Germany and Norway to initiate a fresh discussion of the relationships between centre and periphery within the artworlds of the Third Reich. Beyond historical re-assessment, this project also asks more pressingly: How do we encounter these battles over art today?

Since the mid-1990s, Annette and Caroline Kierulf have practiced what they themselves call "woodcut as cultural critique". Drawing on the medium's rich history as a means of communication and protest, the Norwegian artists strive to revive woodcut as a discursive tool. With subtle humor, the sisters use the visual reductiveness of the low-tech medium to critically reflect on the social, economic, and cultural changes shaping our high-tech societies. Incorporating references to pop culture and folk art, Caroline Kierulf's work explores the often overlooked aspects of everyday life, Annette Kierulf focuses on a feminist reinterpretation of the landscape genre. The publication provides insights into the artists' production and working methods, as well as their longstanding collaboration.