In Oslo, in 1916, Edvard Munch went to Hagenbeck’s Circus and met a man named Sultan Abdul Karem. Of African origins, Karem was immortalized in a number of portraits by Munch, but when the group of paintings was exhibited none of the titles identified Karem by name. Instead, Munch referred to him as “Negro.” In “Call Me By My Name,” the Munch museum displays all the Karem portraits together for the first time, and analyzes the inherent racism of their titles—which, by the way, are being changed. —E.C.

Call Me By My Name
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Munch Museum / Oslo / Art
Munch Museum / Oslo / Art
Edvard Munch, “Cleopatra and the Slave,” 1916–1920. Photo © Munchmuseet.
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