Munch

The first known Munch in Norway was Søren Rasmussen Munch who named himself after his stepfather. He was a wood trader.

When I sing the the psalm “Deilig er jorden” and the words from the second verse “Family follows family” (slekt skal følge slekters gang), I make the links to all those in my family who had ideas and visions before me.

I had a great, great grandmother, Christine Storm Munch, from whom I was given my first name. She knew her ways in life and is a source of inspiration when it comes to managing a huge house and garden. She was the woman organising the household of the vicarage in Vågå and then Fluberg in the turn of the century 1700–1800. She made som much an influence that a book is written about her where the chef Arne Brimi takes inspiration in her cooking skills. The book is in norwegian “Fru Christine Storm Munch og hennar kokebok”.

Another priests wife is my great grandmother, Anna Helene Munch f. Borchsenius. She gave birth to a lot of children, ran a middle class 1800 century home and painted. In a fashion women did at the time. Being a priests wife, with many duties, she could only paint through the windowes of her home. So she painted landscapes, or cityscapes, mostly from Kristiania (Oslo). Perhaps she was content, but important to me is she never stopped painting or doing her “female” craft of tatting (a craft my uncle Jan was very good at). Her paintings from Briskeby has been exhibited at the gallery “Albin Up” and at the “Oslo bymuseum”. They will be on show in Munchx in the years to come. One of her many daughters, with the same name Anna Helene, also started to paint – and to me this is an inspiration to me as a parent. I can share my knowledge with my daughter Sigrid and she will develope it her own way.

There is also P.A. Munch – who glowed for the history of Norway and wrote theories and thick books and hardly ever slept to accomplish his thirst for knowledge. He even moved to Rome to be able to research and were the first protestant allowed in the Vatican library. You can only get a no if you ask – he got a yes. Passion and courage!

Edvard Munch, the painter, the relative who is close and distant at the same time. My father met him a few times, but Edvard was withdrawn and had no patience for relatives. But in a way he is the brand maker of the family name and makes it live, perhaps forever? There is so much to learn from him, his life, his courage, his screams, his paintings, his printed work. For a while I presume his constant presence has been a hindrance. But lets say he no longer is – he looks at me from beyond his boiled head of a cod fish and salutes (Munch spiser et velærverdig torskehode, 1940). And I want to salute in return.

Whenever I wonder why I do things, or why we make the decisions we do to take care of the amazing heritage Villa Fredheim is , and at the same time run our design agency, Munch design, and start en exhibition place – Munchx. I look over my shoulder and remind me of the past. Wich is so inspiring for living in the presence and vital for handeling whatever the future brings.

Munchs

The reason my last name is Munch is due to my great grandmother Mathilde Christine Munch, her son Edvard Myhre Munch (theologian), totally out of fashion, named himself and his family by his mothers surname. His son Didrik Arup Munch, my grandfather and the cousin of the painter Edvard Munch, is the reason we live at this wonderfully strange place. Didrik wanted to run a school. He started boarding schools at Gran and Brandbu close to Randsfjorden in Norway, but moved closer to Kristiania – and bought Villa Fredheim at Blommenholm with his brother Aksel to follow his dreams. And from 1912 he was the headmaster of the boarding school named Munchs pensjonatskole. In his time and still into our century the buildings and property were best known as Munchs. Didrik found an artists daughter, Borghild Utne, and married her and they had three sons Jan, Kjell and Carsten.

The two I owe the most is Kjell and Peppe Munch, my father and mother. Kjell working as a designer, a photographer, an artist and making the decision not to give up the oversized Villa Fredheim at Blommenholm in Bærum. He loved the place so much he hardly ever went on holidays, only road trips that lasted one day, being home by nightfall. He had an early retirement from his profession as a lighting designer. This meant he could make most of the renovation himself and still have time to draw and make art. Most evenings he would say he needed to go and lock up, which in reality gave him at least 3 hours in his studio working on wood reliefs. My mother, Peppe, is however the one thats has inspired me most when it comes to be as spontaneous as her colourful, stained glass art. For a long time, especially in my teens I hated her openness and curiosity, but I realise she has given me an important gift – the ability to see others and take an interest in theirs passions. I am grateful.

Munchx

Being inspired brings joyfulness and giving is an appreciative feeling. At the beginning of the new decade we felt an urge to explore, make changes and reinvent our daily surroundings. The result was officespaces in Villa Fredheim for creatives. The lock down and changes due to pandemic c19 in Norway was not included in these plans, but soon became a blessing. We were given time. And used it to follow our vision for the decade.

Munchx is an continuation of the office spaces where graphic designers, architects, floral designer, photographer and an artist moved in – to share knowledge and the atmosphere that provides both quietness to work and the possibility for advise and a social chat when needed.

Being the third Munch on the premises it is up to me, Christine, and Lars to make out how what Villa Fredheim should represent. We live our lives her with our daughter and would like to share some of this beautiful place with likeminded people – designers, artists, crafters and those who choose to make a living from the aesthetics.

Munchx is our way of providing a showroom for this. A place within Villa Fredheim, within the history in these walls and a place to cross over into contemporary life and inspire to observation, joyfulness, prickling irritation, sparkling innovation or soothing afterthought.

The name Munchx is a tribute to my grandfather Didrik who bought Villa Fredheim, followed what he believed in and to my parents that for years renovated and cared for this remarkable place – a place of opportunities.