Comment:In January 1921 Munch was approached by Freia Chocolate factory at Rodeløkka with a request to paint wall decorations for the factory’s dining hall. That winter he made sketches on a 1:10 scale for six panels in a smaller dining room used by the male employees along with twelve panels in a larger dining room where the women used to eat. On April 6, 1922, he was commissioned to complete the latter in time for the factory’s 25th anniversary the following year. All the paintings were executed during the course of 1922 and they were in place by early January 1923. When Freia ten years later, in 1934, built a separate wing to house the dining hall, Munch’s pictures were moved to the so-called Freia hall, designed by architect Ole Sverre. This was done in compliance with Munch, who declared his satisfaction with the relocation.
Munch’s six sketches for the small dining room were not completed, but they formed the basis for his further attempts at realising a workers’ frieze. (GW)