Leo Martínez
Edvard Munch's 'The Scream' is one of the world's most recognisable paintings and has been the target of several theft attempts. Two of the four versions of the painting have been stolen in major museum heists and later recovered. The first theft occurred in 1994, and the second in 2004.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of times stolen | 2 |
| Date of first theft | 12 February 1994 |
| Location of first theft | National Gallery, Oslo, Norway |
| Date of second theft | 22 August 2004 |
| Location of second theft | Munch Museum, Oslo, Norway |
| Date of recovery | 7 May 1994 (first painting); 2006 (second painting) |
| Number of thieves | 2 (first theft); 4 (second theft) |
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The 1994 theft
On 12 February 1994, the same day as the opening of the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, two men broke into the National Gallery in Oslo and stole its version of 'The Scream'. The painting had been moved down to a second-floor gallery as part of the Olympic festivities. The thieves scaled a ladder, fell, climbed back up, broke a window, and swiftly retrieved the painting. They left a note reading "Thanks for the poor security".
The gallery refused to pay a ransom demand of $1 million in March 1994. Norwegian police then set up a sting operation with assistance from the British police and the Getty Museum. On 7 May 1994, the painting was recovered undamaged.
In January 1996, four men were convicted in connection with the theft, including Pål Enger, a former athlete and known art thief. They were released on appeal on legal grounds: the British agents involved in the sting operation had entered Norway under false identities.
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The 2004 theft
Edvard Munch's painting "The Scream" has been stolen twice. The 2004 theft took place on 22 August, during daylight hours. Masked gunmen entered the Munch Museum in Oslo and swiftly removed the 1910 version of "The Scream" along with another painting, "Madonna". The thieves were photographed by a quick-thinking bystander as they escaped to a nearby getaway car.
In the 2004 theft, it took two years for the paintings to be recovered. During that time, there were fears that the paintings had been burned by the suspects to hide evidence of the crime. Finally, in 2006, the paintings were exhibited in their damaged condition at the Munch Museum for five days before being restored.
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The 2004 recovery
The 1910 version of Edvard Munch's The Scream was stolen on 22 August 2004, during daylight hours, from the Munch Museum in Oslo. Masked gunmen entered the museum and swiftly took the painting, along with another of Munch's works, Madonna. As the thieves were making their escape to a nearby getaway car, they were photographed by a quick-thinking bystander.
The 2004 theft was not the first time a version of the painting had been stolen. The 1893 original was taken from the National Gallery in Oslo in 1994. However, it was recovered undamaged just three months later. The 2004 theft proved more difficult to resolve, and it would be two years before the paintings were recovered.
The police assumed a ransom demand was imminent, but none came. There was one natural suspect: a former athlete named Pål Enger, already a known art thief. He denied any involvement despite cameras picking him up among the gallery visitors a few days earlier. Enger had a sense of humour about the situation. Two months after the theft, he placed a notice in the Dagbladet newspaper announcing the birth of his son who, he wrote, arrived "with a Scream".
In April 2005, eight months after the theft, the police finally made an arrest. Six men in total were arrested and charged, but the paintings remained missing. It wasn't until August 2006 that the Norwegian police announced they had recovered both Madonna and The Scream. The paintings had suffered only minor damage, and after a brief period on display in their damaged state, they were restored.
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The 2005 arrests
The Scream, by Edvard Munch, is among the most iconic images of modern art. Munch created four versions of the painting: two in paint and two in pastels. Two of the painted versions, which belong to Norway, have been stolen and recovered, while the other two are pastel drawings.
The 2004 theft
On 22 August 2004, masked gunmen entered the Munch Museum in Oslo and stole the 1910 version of The Scream, along with another painting by Munch, the Madonna. During their escape to a nearby getaway car, the thieves were photographed by a quick-thinking bystander.
On 8 April 2005, eight months after the theft, the Norwegian police finally made an arrest. Six men in total were arrested and charged, but the paintings remained missing. The police had feared that the paintings had been burned by the suspects to hide evidence of the crime.
The recovery
Two years after the initial theft, in 2006, both paintings were recovered. The damage to the paintings was much less than feared, although The Scream had suffered moisture damage on the lower left corner, and Madonna had several tears and holes in the canvas. Before restoration took place, the paintings were exhibited to the public for five days in their recovered condition. Over 5,500 people came to view the paintings.
The perpetrators
Although the perpetrators had been identified before the paintings were found, their motives remain mysterious. One theory is that the theft was carried out to distract police from another investigation, into the murder of a Norwegian police officer. Another suspect was a former athlete named Pål Enger, already a known art thief. However, no further arrests were made, and the paintings were verified as originals.
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The 1996 convictions
Edvard Munch's The Scream is one of the world's most recognisable paintings and has been the target of several thefts and theft attempts. The painting has been stolen twice, with two different versions of the painting taken in two separate heists.
The 1994 theft involved two men who broke into the National Gallery in Oslo, climbing through a window and making off with the painting. They left a note saying, "Thanks for the poor security." The painting was recovered undamaged three months later, on 7 May 1994, with the help of British detectives, including Scotland Yard detective Charles Hill, who posed as an American art dealer.
In January 1996, four men were convicted in connection with the 1994 theft, including Pål Enger, a former athlete and known art thief. Enger had placed a birth notice in a newspaper two months after the theft, announcing the birth of his son, who he said had arrived "with a Scream". However, the convicted criminals were released on appeal due to legal grounds—the British agents involved in the operation had entered Norway using false identities.
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Frequently asked questions
Two versions of The Scream have been stolen and recovered in Norway.
The first version of The Scream was stolen on 12 February 1994, from the National Gallery in Oslo.
The second time The Scream was stolen was on 22 August 2004, from the Munch Museum in Oslo.
The Scream was stolen as part of a heist, but the motives of the thieves remain unclear. Some believe it was done to distract police from another investigation.
