Edvard Munch portrait bought by Amsterdam museum

The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam bought a painting by Norse artist Edvard Munch - a portrait of German scientist Felix Auerbach. This is the first time this painting can be seen in the Netherlands, and according to the museum, also the only Munch portrait in a Dutch collection.

The museum unveiled the painting on Tuesday, the 74th anniversary of Munch's death. Munch (1863- 1944) painted the portrait in 1906, at the request of the German scientist.

According to the museum, the monumental painting with its expressive colors is characteristic of Munch's oeuvre and fits seamlessly in the Van Gogh museum's collection. The lives and works of Van Gogh and Munch show many striking parallels. And despite the fact that the two artists likely never met each other, their names are often mentioned together.

"That we have now been able to enrich our collection with a beautiful painting by Munch, in which his affinity with Van Gogh is clearly visible, is the fulfillment of a long-cherished dream", Axel Ruger, director of the Van Gogh Museum said in a press release.