Gerhard Munthe (1849–1929) was the leading practitioner of Japonisme in Norway, and with his decorative works he made a name for himself as one of the earliest Art Nouveau artists within a European context as well.

Munthe knew several of the most prominent standard-bearers of Japonisme in Europe, such as Siegfried Bing (1838–1905) at the Parisian gallery L’Art Nouveau, who served as the very link between Japonisme and the Art Nouveau movement.

Munthe had an international outlook, even as he sought to highlight what was distinctly Norwegian. By combining elements from Japanese art and French syntheticism with the culture, vernacular art, and mythology of the Norwegian Middle Ages, he developed a fantastical style characterized by bold colours on geometric, ornamental surfaces that insisted on their two-dimensionality.

Munthe worked in a wide range of media from watercolours to the design of wallpapers, tableware, interiors, and not least books and tapestries. In Norway, Munthe had close ties to the various museums of applied arts. He participated actively in contemporary debates on art, and he became a leading figure in the field. Internationally, his decorative works were discussed in leading European journals, presented at major exhibitions, and acquired by several museums.