Seminar with Tone Hansen: MUNCH - Between the Iconic and the Contemporary

Tone Hansen, Director of MUNCH in Oslo, presents the vision behind one of Norway’s most significant cultural institutions. Opened in 2021, MUNCH is a striking landmark on Oslo’s waterfront, housing the world’s largest collection of works by artist Edvard Munch. With its 13 floors and over 5,000 square meters of exhibition space, the museum offers a dynamic range of experiences — from showcasing Munch’s iconic art to presenting modern and contemporary works that resonate with his legacy.

In her lecture, Hansen will discuss how MUNCH has evolved into a platform that balances historical reverence with forward-looking programming. She will reflect on how the museum’s three core pillars — Edvard Munch, modernism, and contemporary art — create opportunities for dialogue between past and present, local and global perspectives. Through recent exhibitions such as Edvard Munch: Lifeblood, Kiyoshi Yamamoto: You Are What You Is, Kerstin Brätsch: MƎTAATEM, and Georg Baselitz: Feet First, the museum demonstrates how Munch’s themes of human vulnerability, nature, and existential struggle continue to inspire and challenge today’s audiences.
The lecture will also highlight the museum’s role as a civic space, fostering inclusivity and experimentation, and its commitment to contributing to the cultural life of Oslo and beyond.

Tone Hansen is the Director of MUNCH in Oslo, a landmark museum dedicated to the life and work of Edvard Munch, as well as modern and contemporary art. Since 2021, she has led the museum in developing ambitious exhibitions that connect Munch’s legacy with global artistic dialogues. From 2011 to 2022, Hansen served as Director of Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, where she revitalised the institution with a rich, cross-disciplinary programme. She has curated exhibitions featuring artists such as Pablo Picasso, Yayoi Kusama, Nils Aslak Valkeapää, and Zdenka Rusova. A trained artist and art scholar, Hansen has also held key leadership roles in Arts Council Norway and other cultural boards across Scandinavia.

Read more about the project Samtidskonsten sporrar here.
In collaboration with Sweden’s Museums

Main image: Utställningen Munch Infinite Interior
Foto: Einar Aslaksen
Image 2: MUNCH
Foto: Einar Aslaksen