Edvard Munch Norway 1863-1944. "The bear". From the suite Alpha and Omega. Signed Edvard Munch. Lithograph, 24 x 41, sheet size 47.5 x 59. Faded, minor discolouration, attached at the top, tape residue at the top recto and verso, folds in one lower corner, minor paper loss verso, pencil note verso. Lithograph. Signed Edvard Munch. 24 x 41, sheet size 47.5 x 59 cm.
1905-09. Woll 345, Munch Museum 86. Sch 315, MM G 310. The portfolio contains 18 leaves. Munch got the idea for the folder in the mid-1890s when he made a number of drawings with similar motifs. In 1903 he exhibited a series of drawings under the title "The first people". But it was only in 1908, when Munch began visiting Dr. Jacobsen"s reception, that he developed the idea into a complete lithographic folder with these motifs. All the sheets were printed in black and exist only in one state, however there are some indications that some of the motifs were later transferred to new stones and probably printed by Nielsen"s printing house in Oslo. The lithographs were printed in 50; 20 on Japan paper, five on gray paper and 25 on white paper. The total number of folders issued was about 80-90.