Munch's Scream stolen!

[Popmartijn]

Hello,

I just saw this news on Dutch Teletext (and also on the Beeb's website):
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3588282.stm

Scream stolen from Norway museum

Armed robbers have stolen the iconic Edvard Munch painting, The Scream, from the Munch Museum in Norway.

Two masked thieves pulled the work and another painting, Madonna, off the wall as stunned visitors watched.

...

Munch painted four versions of his famous 1893 work. One is in the National Gallery, and one of the others was in the Munch Museum.

The National Gallery version was stolen in 1994 as the Winter Olympic Games began in Lillehammer, Norway.

They estimate the value of Madonna at 20 million euros (I think the singer will probably be disappointed by being worth not more). The value of 'The Scream' is indeed priceless.



Marty

 

[bammo2]

I hope they find it soon



bloody thieves

 

[DrTeeth]

Very sad indeed!

At least we'll always have this one:

 

[Popmartijn]

Good one, Doc.

 

[U2democrat]

someone's gonna make an immense amount of money on the black market if they don't get caught!

 

[BrownEyedBoy]

? can't help but think of the Thomas Crown Affair. There is a quote tere that Dennis Leary's character says:

"...a couple of swirls of paint that are only valuable to silly rich people."

I think that with the world status today there are more important issues to attend.

 

[david]

I saw it on the news.. They found the frames of the pictures, the paintings had been slashed around the edges of the wood frames and removed. I wonder if that will devalue them?

 

[Salome]

I wonder if they'll indeed try to get ransome money for the paintings
it's just about impossible to find someone to sell these painting to

 

[AvsGirl41]

They did it in full view of everyone?

Wow. Those are some good thieves.

 

[verte76]

This sucks. I'm really upset about this. Damn thieves.

 

[U2dork]

Being an employee at a museum, I'm a bit irked over the press and gov. official's outrage and shock regarding security. They're making it sound as if the security guards handed over the paintings. Being very familar with this line of work, I have to ask what were the (unarmed) guards expected to do? Throw their walkie-talkies at armed men? One article I read had a quote from some man who was outraged the guards were more concerned with the guests' safety than saving the painting. Someone please tell me how it was wrong of them to be more concerned about the guests in the museum?

OK. I'm done with my rant now.

 

[ABEL]

 

[HeartlandGirl]

That sucks!

 

[anitram]

I saw the paintings a few years ago, and I just can't believe I may not get to see them again. What an utterly classless, disgusting act of thievery.

 

[beli]

I normally do the insurance for 2 art galleries and there is no way to make paintings accessible to the public and secure at the same time.

The only way to make them secure from people is to lock them away where no one can see them. And then they can still get storm damaged from a leaky roof, basement, blah blah .

Its a risk to display art but if their beauty is not shared whats the point?

But yah, its a sad day.

 

[indra]

I wonder if they'll indeed try to get ransome money for the paintings
it's just about impossible to find someone to sell these painting to

someone's gonna make an immense amount of money on the black market if they don't get caught!

High profile artwork such as this are rarely stolen for ransom or to try to sell later, they are generally stolen to order. In other words, someone contracted to have these paintings stolen, and they will be in an extremely "private collection" very soon (if they aren't already).

The Scream has always been one of my favorite paintings. I've often felt it pretty much is a visualization of my emotional state.

 

[babyman]

 

[Tomer]

ha!

 

[TheBrazilianFly]

I saw that on the news yesterday, man that sucks ass! The Scream is actually one of my favorite paintings (I'm saying this because I don't have many actually ). I hope they find it just like it was before.

 

[zoney!]

I saw the paintings a few years ago, and I just can't believe I may not get to see them again. What an utterly classless, disgusting act of thievery.

I THOUGHT I heard that that it was "one" of the scream paintings...that there might be more than one. Someone PROVE me wrong.

 

[nbcrusader]

I THOUGHT I heard that that it was "one" of the scream paintings...that there might be more than one. Someone PROVE me wrong.

You are correct - there are more than one "scream" paintings.

Specifically:

Several sketches and preparatory studies for this painting survive. The motif also features in Munch's graphic works.

The Scream

 

[cell]

nevermind.