Portrait of Walther Rathenau

Copyrights to the artwork expired

The young Norwegian Edvard Munch shot to fame in 1892 by provoking outrage. His show with the Association of Berlin Artists was shut down within days of opening when conservative members protested against his innovative style. The “Munch Affair” marks the birth of modernism in Berlin. The artist loved the attention and moved to the German capital, spending several lengthy periods working there until 1907. One of his first collectors was the Berlin industrialist Walther Rathenau (1867–1922), later assassinated as foreign minister of the Weimar Republic. After Munch did his portrait in 1907, he observed: “That is what one gets from being painted by a great artist: one becomes more of a likeness than one is.”