Munch, Satyricon band together in Oslo's new music-art show
The Munch Museum in Oslo is dedicated exclusively to Norway's most famous painter. (DPA)


You may see no common ground between expressionist painter Edvard Munch and the black metal band Satyricon. But the Munch Museum in Oslo bands the duo together in a rare exhibition.

Munch and Satyricon both may have called Oslo home and are well known beyond Norway's borders, and yet the two are known for very different, albeit dark forms of expression. One is the late master of "The Scream" and other expressive, soulful works, while the other is a contemporary musical duo known for what's known as black metal.

Now the Munch Museum in Oslo is bringing the two forms of expression closer together and Satyricon has adapted musical compositions to selected paintings and graphics by Munch as part of a rare new exhibition.

Sigurd "Satyr" Wongraven, singer and keyboardist of the Norwegian band Satyricon, has adapted the world-famous metal duo's works to the art of Munch in Oslo. (DPA)

According to the museum, the result is "an atmospheric and unusual fusion of music and visual art." Visitors can see the exhibition "Satyricon & Munch" from April until Aug. 28.

The new Munch Museum opened in the Norwegian capital six months ago near the Oslo Opera House. It spans 13 floors and displays thousands of works of art that Munch (1863-1944) bequeathed to the city.

Among them are several works with the motif "The Scream," which made the Norwegian world famous.

The Norwegian band Satyricon, founded in 1991, are today one of the most famous black metal groups globally. The band consists of singer, guitarist and keyboardist Sigurd "Satyr" Wongraven and drummer Kjetil "Frost" Haraldstad.

Munch's extraordinary works are to be seen in a new light in connection with the music, and the overlapping of the images and the music is also to give a space for reflection that goes beyond simply listening to black metal or visiting a gallery.