ARTIST Edvard Munch, painter of iconic The Scream, is the subject of a new movie which had its international premiere earlier this week – and tourism bosses in homeland Norway are urging fans to follow in his footsteps.

Munch traces the life of the artist who was misunderstood by his peers, rejected by the art establishment and admitted to a psychiatric clinic, with four actors playing the painter at various stages of his life.

It includes the story of Munch’s first love, the controversy surrounding his early exhibitions in Berlin and leads up to the artist’s battle at the end of his life to save his works from the Nazis during World War II.

Active for 60 years, he is now regarded as one of Modernism’s most important artists, whose works were inspired by both the people in his life and the landscapes on which he lived and worked.

Norway’s capital Oslo hosts the world’s biggest collection of Munch’s work. The MUNCH Museum in Bjørvika is the most comprehensive single-artist museum in the world, exhibiting more than half of the artist’s paintings.

The collection includes famous works like The Scream, Madonna, The Dance of Life, Puberty, and The Sick Child, as well as other works from every stage of the artist’s career.

The National Museum also contains several of Munch’s most significant works, including early versions of The Scream, The Girls on the Bridge, The Brooch, and Melancholy.

To see the same view Munch saw when he first had the idea for the motif depicted in The Scream, head to The Munch Spot in Ekeberg, close to the Ekebergparken Sculpture Park.

You can also visit Munch’s grave at the Vеr Frelsers Gravlund cemetery, which features a bust of the artist.

Take a 40-minute drive south and you’ll find cultural destination Ramme, where Munch had a country home from 1910 until his death. Here, you can walk in his footsteps along the culture trail, and visit the Ramme Art Gallery.

In 1898, Munch bought a house in the little coastal town of Еsgеrdstrand in Horten, and today it’s a small museum open to the public, in which everything has remained untouched from the artist’s day.

Many of Munch’s famous works were painted here, including The Bridge, Four girls in Åsgårdstrand and The Dance of Life. Walking through the same surroundings with the same light is an almost uncanny experience.

The artist also spent time on the opposite shore of the Oslofjørd. If you take a short boat trip from Horten to Moss, you can visit the island of Jeløya, where he had inspiration for some of the most famous works of his career.

Here, you’ll also find Refsnes Gods, a historic hotel from 1767, which holds a unique art collection with works by more than 90 artists, including some by Munch. The Restaurant Munch also has a number of originals.

Last, but not least, about an hour and a half south of Еsgеrdstrand lies the lively city of Kragerø, where Munch painted several of his famous works, and a self-guided Munch Tour showcases the hidden streets by the harbour.

The Munch movie originally opened in Norway only in January but had a worldwide release on March 27. For more information about Munch-related attractions, see VisitNorway.