The foundation stone for the new museum was laid autumn 2016, after a long and heated debate on both design and location – not unlike that which preceded the building of the original museum at Tøyen.

Edvard Munch is about not accepting conventional rules, about fighting against opposition, about never giving up. The building is there, it has a powerful presence, and it is part of the city. It says, ‘Okay, here I am. I hold the legacy of the most important artist in Norway’s history, and I gaze entranced at Oslo and the fjord because it is the city and its collective dreams that have built me.’

These words were spoken by Juan Herreros, founding partner of the Spanish architecture practice Estudio Herreros. Together with his partner Jens Richter he has designed MUNCH in Bjørvika.

MUNCH is home to the world’s largest collection of works by Edvard Munch (1863–1944), with more than 26,000 of his artworks among a total of over 42,000 objects. Across 13 floors of galleries and performance spaces, the museum showcases the breadth of Munch’s artistry alongside contemporary art and international exhibitions – as well as concerts, performances, talks and activities for all ages.

The largest and most valuable part of the Museum’s collection consists of Munch’s bequest. When Munch died in 1944, the collection was distributed all over his property at Ekely – in outbuildings, studios, and in some cases simply outdoors. Perhaps at that time one wouldn’t really have described it as a collection, but as a deceased person’s estate. Munch had no descendants who could take care of his life’s work. Accordingly, he bequeathed all the artworks still in his possession to the City of Oslo.