Edvard Munch and the Chocolate Factory

Ana Marķa Bresciani, Marta Breen, Per Petterson, Chipo Dendere

ISBN 10: 8284620618 / ISBN 13: 9788284620619

Published by Munch Museum, NO, 2026

About this Item

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 Marķa 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.

Seller Inventory # LU-9788284620619

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Edvard Munch and the Chocolate Factory
• Publisher: Munch Museum, NO
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 8284620618
• ISBN 13: 9788284620619
• Binding: Hardback
• Condition: New
• Weight: 900 grams

About this title

Synopsis

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 Marķa 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.

About the Author

Marta Breen (b. 1976) is an award-winning Norwegian author, journalist and public speaker who focuses on women’s history, feminism and the arts. She is a regular columnist for the newspaper Dagsavisen. Breen has published bestsellers such as Women in Battle (2018), Om muser og menn (On Muses and Men, 2019) and The Patriarchy Falls (2021). As a journalist, she has worked for the newspaper Dagbladet and the broadcasters RadiOrakel and NRK. Breen has given internationally renowned lectures on gender equality and the struggle for women’s rights in countries such as Egypt, Russia and Brazil, and has also received awards for her engagement in this field. Ana Marķa Bresciani (b. 1978) is a curator and writer at the Munch Museum in Oslo. Bresciani has extensive experience as a curator and senior curator at KORO (Public Art Norway) and Henie Onstad Kunstsenter. In addition to important solo exhibitions for artists such as Per Barclay, Kåre Kivijärvi, Jumana Manna and Catherine Opie, she has curated several group exhibitions relating to historical and societal themes. As a writer, Bresciani has contributed articles on art in public space, institutional practice and interdisciplinary projects exploring art's role in public debate. Chipo Dendere (b. 1980) is a political scientist at Wellesley College in the USA and a specialist in African studies. Her work stretches across African politics, democracy and dictatorships, to the global challenges in the cacao industry. Her critically acclaimed book Death, Diversion, and Departure (2026) shows how authoritarian regimes in Zimbabwe are not only surviving but becoming stronger as the number of young and well-informed voters dwindles. Dendere’s research also provides important insights into the difficult history of the cacao industry and the global challenges faced by the industry today. Per Petterson (b. 1952) grew up in Oslo and is now one of Norway’s most award-laden and internationally renowned authors. Petterson has a unique ability to vividly depict people and the environments they inhabit. In 1987 he made his debut with the short story collection Ashes in My Mouth, Sand in My Shoes, and in 2003 his breakthrough came with Out Stealing Horses, which won the Norwegian Booksellers’ Prize, the Norwegian Critics’ Prize for Literature and the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. Later works such as I Curse the River of Time (winner of the 2009 Nordic Council Literature Prize) and You Are Home Now (2026) have confirmed his talent for exploring existential themes such as loss, time and family relationships. His books have been translated into over 50 languages.