Tête-a-tête
Edvard Munch
Norwegian, 1863–1944
1894/1895
An etching and drypoint that stages a tense, late‑night tête‑à‑tête in which a man's cigarette smoke takes on a mask‑like, floating face to make an awkward intimacy visible.
You first notice the dim, cramped room and a tray of glasses by a window, then the uncanny pale visage formed from smoke that hovers between the figures, its soft glow set against dense, cross‑hatched shadows that make the scene feel claustrophobic and uncanny.
Working in etching and drypoint, Munch turns psychological states into visual motifs here—using tone and scratchy line to probe alienation and intimacy in ways that helped pave the road from Symbolism to Expressionism.
Medium
Etching and drypoint
Dimensions
plate: 8 9/16 x 12 13/16" (21.8 x 32.6 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Given anonymously
Accession
535.1942
Palette
Exhibitions
