First-ever coloured lithograph by Edvard Munch to come up at auction

THE first-ever coloured lithograph by Edvard Munch is included in the only known complete example of Les Peintures Gravures published in 1896 by legendary dealer Ambroise Vollard.

It sits along 21 prints by his contemporaries, including Bonnard, Vuillard, Redon and Renoir.

One of the most important dealers and publishers of the 20th century, Vollard is credited with being largely responsible for the validation of lithography as an art form.

Vollard opened his first gallery with an exhibition of drawings by Edouard Manet and after that he used his entire fortune to stage Paul Cezanne’s debut exhibition in November 1895.

The complete album was discovered after a century in a private European collection.

It comes up at Sotheby’s in London on September 17 with an estimate of £500,000-£1 million).

Pictured is Le Soir (Angst) — one of the most famous motifs by Edvard Munch and considered to be an advancement of his most famous work, The Scream.