Colorful oil painting of a well-dressed man and woman standing on a rocky shore, staring off into the sea beyond.
Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College

Black and white print on white paper of two individuals, facing away into the distance. The woman stands to the left, dressed in a long-sleeved, floor-length gown that is cinched at the waist. Her long, dark hair cascades down her back. The man, standing to the right, is largely featureless due to the matching darkness of his suit, hair, and possible hat. The ground on which the two stand appears to be rolling, slope-like, and possibly rocky. The distance is hazy and largely without detail, but a smattering of lines may suggest that the background is a wavy sea.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
2023.559
People
Edvard Munch, Norwegian (Loiten, Norway 1863 - 1944 Ekely, Norway)
Title
Two Human Beings (The Lonely Ones)
Other Titles
Alternate Title: Two Human Beings. The Lonely Ones
Original Language Title: To mennesker. De ensomme
Original Language Title: Zwei Menschen. Die Einsamen
Classification
Prints
Work Type
print
Date
1894
Culture
Norwegian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/379761

Location

Location
Level 3, Room 3500, Special Exhibitions Gallery
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Physical Descriptions

Medium
Drypoint and etching printed with plate tone in black ink on white wove paper
Technique
Etching and drypoint
Dimensions
image: 15.4 × 21.6 cm (6 1/16 × 8 1/2 in.)
plate mark: 16.7 × 22.8 cm (6 9/16 × 9 in.)
sheet: 23.4 × 29.8 cm (9 3/16 × 11 3/4 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • inscription: recto of original mat, graphite: An Herr E von Franquet / Freundlich / E Munch
  • collector's mark: verso of original mat, blue stamp:
    P A S / L G S [Philip A. Straus and Lynn G. Straus (Lugt 5642)]
  • inscription: verso, graphite: [long inscription in Norwegian]
  • collector's mark: verso, lower right, in plate mark, blue ink:
    P A S / L G S [Philip A. Straus and Lynn G. Straus (Lugt 5642)]

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
E. Von Franquet. [Sotheby's, December 4, 1981, lot 177], sold [through Frederick Mulder, London]; to Philip A. and Lynn G. Straus, New York, bequest; to Harvard Art Museums, 2023

State, Edition, Standard Reference Number

State
Woll a.III
Standard Reference Number
Woll 13; Schiefler 20

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, The Philip and Lynn Straus Collection
Accession Year
2023
Object Number
2023.559
Division
European and American Art
Contact
am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Publication History

  • Important Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Prints, auct. cat., Sotheby Parke Bernet & Co. (London, December 4, 1981), lot 177, repr.
  • Elizabeth Prelinger, Edvard Munch: Master Printmaker, exh. cat., W. W. Norton & Company and Harvard University Art Museums, Busch-Reisinger Museum (New York and London, 1983), pl. 114
  • Elizabeth Prelinger, Guide to the Exhibition "Edvard Munch: Master Printmaker. Prints from The Philip and Lynn Straus Collection", brochure, Harvard Art Museums (Cambridge, MA, 1983), checklist
  • Gerd Woll, Edvard Munch: The Complete Graphic Works, Orfeus Publishing (Oslo, 2012), no. 13, p. 47

Exhibition History

Related Objects

Verification Level

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