Edvard Munch and the Chocolate Factory

• Published to accompany an exhibition at the MUNCH Museum, Oslo, running from May until November, 2026
• Curator Ana María Bresciani examines the Freia Frieze as a decorative art project, considering the artist, the commission, the commissioner, the canteen user, the resources that enabled the project and the workers' context in Munch's oeuvre
• Author Marta Breen highlights the experiences of 'chocolate girls' and their fight for rights, offering insight into the human stories behind the art
• Novelist Per Petterson shares a story about his mother, who worked at Freia and used the new canteen where the frieze has hung since 1934, connecting the paintings to personal narratives
• Political scientist Chipo Dendere discusses the history and democratisation of cacao in Europe and its trade, providing perspectives that enrich the viewing of Munch's work
• Finally, co-editor Nina Mauno Schjønsby interviews two of the museum's painting conservators, Lina Wulff Flogstad and Mie Mustad, about their work with the monumental sketch Workers on the Building Site (1931–33), which is included in the exhibition
• Featuring rare historical photos
• Historical context of the Freia Frieze and can reflect on the evolution of labour rights and social progress

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 María 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.

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 María 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.