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Munch's 'The Scream' stolen from Oslo museum

22.08.2004

OSLO - Armed robbers have stolen masterpieces by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch from a museum in Oslo and national radio said a version of "The Scream" was part of the haul.

Norwegian national radio NRK said on Sunday the paintings stolen from the Munch Museum included a version of the famous portrait of modern angst, and a version of another key work, "Madonna".

"I can confirm that there has been a robbery," an official at the Munch Museum said. Police declined to comment and the museum would not say which paintings were taken. The robbery happened around 0900 GMT (10am British time), NRK said.

Another and perhaps better-known version of "The Scream", a painting of a waiflike figure on a bridge, was stolen from Norway's National Gallery in a break-in on February 1994, on the opening day of the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer.

It was retrieved several months later and remains in that gallery.

Munch, who lived from 1863 to 1944 and who was a pioneer of modern expressionism, made several copies of his key works, including "The Scream".

***From: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment ... on=general

yesterday my bro was showing me that. hmm....i heard its priceless.

It's said it was an order. Someone really wealthy just ordered the burglars to steal it. However, I wonder... What do you want it for, if you can't show it to your friends or family or whoever, since it must be hidden?

I'm not quite sure about this case since the news didn't say much; however, for what you've said about people order to steal pieces of arts, I think it's because most of them are insuranced. They ask others to steal those arts so they can get the insurance money. Aslo, some people are in love with arts in a pyscho way. They think the paintings have lost their own values when they're stored in museums. They think they can do a better job to take care those paintings. That's why they steal. This is all I know.....

I have a different view about why someone would order a burglar to steal such a priceless paiting. I suggested that it may be an illegal deal. There must be some wealthy man willing to pay much money to buy the painting, even it's a stolen good. It push an indecent man who knew the tricks of the trade to make another deal with a burglar. Hey! It's like the story of a movie. ha ha....I must be effected by movies in such case.

Anyway, it would be pitiful that the famous painting been fallen into someone's private collection since it could not be appreciated by public anymore.