10/08/2026
🎂 Happy birthday to Tulla Larsen, the woman at the centre of one of the most dramatic chapters in Edvard Munch’s life. 💔
Mathilde ‘Tulla’ Larsen (1869–1942) met Munch in 1898. What followed was an intense and complicated four-year relationship – one that would leave its mark on Munch’s life and change his art forever.
Tulla became Munch’s fiancée and appeared in several of his portraits. But their relationship was anything but calm. Tulla wanted marriage; Munch resisted commitment.
💥 In 1902, everything came to a dramatic end. During a heated encounter at Munch’s house in Åsgårdstrand, a gun went off. Munch injured a finger on his left hand, and part of it later had to be amputated. Their engagement ended in chaos – and pain. Tulla moved on and later married the artist Arne Kavli. But the relationship continued to echo through Munch’s art.
One example? The Death of Marat (1907), where Munch reimagines the famous murder of French revolutionary Jean-Paul Marat. Munch places himself in the role of the murdered man, while the standing female figure has often been associated with Tulla Larsen – echoing Charlotte Corday, who assassinated Marat.
From tender portraits to darker, more complicated depictions, their relationship remained part of Munch’s visual world long after they went their separate ways.
So today, on Tulla Larsen’s birthday, we’re looking back at the woman behind some of Munch’s most fascinating works. 👀
💔 If you could turn heartbreak into a work of art, what would it look like?
📍Today, you can see some of these works in person on the 4th floor at MUNCH.
[Credit in the comments]
