Jens Thiis
1913
Edvard Munch, the master of existential dread, takes a break from screaming figures to portrait his friend and biggest fan, Jens Thiis. Thiis was a Norwegian art historian and museum director who fiercely defended Munch’s work when critics hated it, eventually helping the artist donate his entire collection to the city of Oslo. The image uses heavy, dark shading to carve out Thiis’s profile, giving him a serious, contemplative look with that fantastic handlebar mustache. It’s a great reminder that behind the famous anxious paintings, Munch had a solid support system of real people.