Edvard Munch and the Chocolate Factory

Edvard Munch's Freia Frieze was installed in the women's canteen at the Freia Chocolate Factory in 1923. More than a century later, these twelve paintings are now leaving the factory to be shown at MUNCH in the exhibition Edvard Munch and the Chocolate Factory. This book sheds light on the frieze from new perspectives: Curator Ana María Bresciani puts the works into a social and art-historical context, while author Marta Breen gives voice to the factory's many female workers. Author Per Petterson writes about his mother, who worked at Freia, and about his own encounter with Munch's art. Chipo Dendere, an expert on African studies, looks at the historically charged cacao industry, while painting conservators Lina Wulff Flogstad and Mie Mustad provide a rare insight into the conservation work behind the exhibition. The book shows how the Freia Frieze speaks not just about its own time but about ours about art, work and community. SELLING POINTS: . Published to accompany an exhibition at the MUNCH Museum, Oslo, running from May until November, 2026 Curator Ana María Bresciani examines the Freia Frieze as a decorative art project, considering the artist, the commission, the commissioner, the canteen user, the resources that enabled the project and the workers' context in Munch's oeuvre . Author Marta Breen highlights the experiences of 'chocolate girls' and their fight for rights, offering insight into the human stories behind the art . Novelist Per Petterson shares a story about his mother, who worked at Freia and used the new canteen where the frieze has hung since 1934, connecting the paintings to personal narratives . Political scientist Chipo Dendere discusses the history and democratisation of cacao in Europe and its trade, providing perspectives that enrich the viewing of Munch's work . Finally, co-editor Nina Mauno Schjønsby interviews two of the museum's painting conservators, Lina Wulff Flogstad and Mie Mustad, about their work with the monumental sketch Workers on the Building Site (1931 33), which is included in the exhibition . Featuring rare historical photos . Historical context of the Freia Frieze and can reflect on the evolution of labour rights and social progress 100 colour illustrations