Yay! The Munchs Are Back!

It was a scary day in the Munch Museum in August 2004 when armed men ordered museum goers to lie on the floor as they snatched two of the world’s most treasured paintings—Edvard Munch’s “Madonna,” and “The Scream,” one of the most reproduced works of art. But now, two years later, the paintings have been recovered, thankfully with little serious damage. While the paintings were gone, visitors were able to see another version of the “The Scream” at the National Gallery in Oslo, and some sketches and pastels based on the well-known theme of a despairing man with skull-like face and gaping mouth holding his head in his hands beneath a swirling orange sky. Equally ominous is his sensuous woman in “Madonna,” surrounded by a painted framework of wriggling sperm.

As Norwegians celebrated, police were mum about exactly how and when the paintings were recovered. Last year six men were arrested in connection with the theft and three were convicted, but officials would provide no details about their investigations.

The Munch Museum has been under criticism because of its lax security that allowed two of the country’s national treasures to be stolen. This wasn’t the first time “The Scream” was taken. The concern for the safety of art treasures in Norway resonates with the recent scandal over the stolen art from the Hermitage where security and conservation concerns were laid aside so employees could get comfortable only by opening the windows.