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On May 7, 1994, Norway’s most famous painting, “The Scream” by Edvard Munch, was recovered almost three months after it was stolen from a museum in Oslo. Thefragile painting was recovered undamaged at a hotel in Asgardstrand, about 40 miles south of Oslo, police said.
The iconic 1893 painting of a waiflike figure on a bridge was stolen in only 50 seconds during a break-in on February 12, the opening day of the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer. Two thieves broke through a window of the National Gallery, cut a wire holding the painting to the wall and left a note reading “Thousand thanks for the bad security!”
A few days after the theft, a Norwegian anti-abortion group said it could have the painting returned if Norwegian television showed an anti-abortion film. The claim turned out to be false. The government also received a $1 million ransom demand on March 3, but refused to pay it due to a lack of proof that the demand was genuine.
Eventually, police found four pieces of the painting’s frame in Nittedal, a suburb north of Oslo, and what may have been a cryptic messages that the thieves wanted to discuss a ransom. Finally, in January 1996, four men were convicted and sentenced in connection with the theft. Theyincluded Paal Enger, who had been convicted in 1988 of stealing Munch’s “The Vampire” in Oslo. Enger was sentenced this time to six-and-a-half-years in prison. He escaped while on a field trip in 1999, andwas captured 12 days later in a blond wig and dark sunglasses trying to buy a train ticket to Copenhagen.
In August 2004, another version of “The Scream” was stolen along with Munch’s “The Madonna,” this time from the Munch Museum in Oslo. Three men were convicted in connection with that theft in May 2006. Police recovered both works in August with minor marks and tears. Yet another version of “The Scream” remained in private hands and sold on May 2, 2012, for $119.9 million, becoming the most expensive work of art to sell at auction.
Munch developed an emotionally charged style that served as an important forerunner of the 20th century Expressionist movement. He painted “The Scream” as part of his “Frieze of Life” series, in which sickness, death, fear, love and melancholy are central themes. He died in January 1944 at the age of 81.
The iconic 1893 painting of a waiflike figure on a bridge was stolen in only 50 seconds during a break-in on February 12, the opening day of the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer. Two thieves broke through a window of the National Gallery, cut a wire holding the painting to the wall and left a note reading “Thousand thanks for the bad security!”
A few days after the theft, a Norwegian anti-abortion group said it could have the painting returned if Norwegian television showed an anti-abortion film. The claim turned out to be false. The government also received a $1 million ransom demand on March 3, but refused to pay it due to a lack of proof that the demand was genuine.
Eventually, police found four pieces of the painting’s frame in Nittedal, a suburb north of Oslo, and what may have been a cryptic messages that the thieves wanted to discuss a ransom. Finally, in January 1996, four men were convicted and sentenced in connection with the theft. Theyincluded Paal Enger, who had been convicted in 1988 of stealing Munch’s “The Vampire” in Oslo. Enger was sentenced this time to six-and-a-half-years in prison. He escaped while on a field trip in 1999, andwas captured 12 days later in a blond wig and dark sunglasses trying to buy a train ticket to Copenhagen.
In August 2004, another version of “The Scream” was stolen along with Munch’s “The Madonna,” this time from the Munch Museum in Oslo. Three men were convicted in connection with that theft in May 2006. Police recovered both works in August with minor marks and tears. Yet another version of “The Scream” remained in private hands and sold on May 2, 2012, for $119.9 million, becoming the most expensive work of art to sell at auction.
Munch developed an emotionally charged style that served as an important forerunner of the 20th century Expressionist movement. He painted “The Scream” as part of his “Frieze of Life” series, in which sickness, death, fear, love and melancholy are central themes. He died in January 1944 at the age of 81.
The Scream recovered - May 07, 1994 - HISTORY.com
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'How I recovered The Scream' - Witness - BBC News
Subscribe to BBC News www.youtube.com/bbcnews In 1994 Edvard Munch's famous painting The Scream was stolen from a Norwegian art museum. It was recovered in a...
Thank you my friend TSgt Joe C. for reminding us that on May 7, 1994 Norway’s most famous painting, “The Scream” by Edvard Munch, was recovered almost three months after it was stolen from a museum in Oslo.
How I recovered The Scream' - Witness - BBC News
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOtTBKog_ko
Background from the BBC onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/12/newsid_3591000/3591994.stm
"1994: Art thieves snatch Scream
Thieves have stolen one of the world's best-known paintings from a gallery in the Norwegian capital, Oslo.
Two men took just 50 seconds to climb a ladder, smash through a window of the National Art Museum in Oslo and cut The Scream, by Edvard Munch, from the wall with wire cutters.
The cutters were left behind along with a short ladder as the men fled with the painting. The entire incident was filmed by security cameras.
The director of the museum, Knut Berg, said, "It is impossible to estimate the value of the painting.
"But it is Norway's most valuable, Munch's most renowned, and it would be impossible to sell."
Getaway vehicle
The museum's alarm went off at 0630 local time (0530 GMT) and a security guard immediately alerted police, who arrived within minutes.
Police officers are searching for a Mercedes car thought to have been used as a getaway vehicle.
The painting was in the gallery as the highlight of a Norwegian Culture Festival staged in connection with the Winter Olympics which start today in Lillehammer.
There is widespread speculation that the theft may have some connection with the Games, possibly as a publicity stunt by campaigners. Art experts believe the painting is so well-known that it is unsaleable.
The museum is facing strong criticism over its security after it was revealed that the masterpiece had been moved from the more secure first floor to the ground floor for the exhibition. It is believed to have been uninsured.
Iconic
The stolen painting is regarded as the most important of the four versions Edvard Munch painted of The Scream, and was created in 1893 as part of his Frieze of Life series in which sickness, death, anxiety and love are central themes.
The haunting depiction of a skull-like face wide-mouthed in agony and despair before a blood-red sunset has become an icon of human anguish across the world.
Several other Munch paintings have recently been stolen: six years ago, another well-known masterpiece, The Vampire, was stolen from the Munch Museum in Oslo, but was later recovered, as was a lithograph, Madonna, which disappeared in 1990.
Another painting, Portrait Study, was taken from the National Art Museum last August and is still missing.
Initially, a radical Norwegian anti-abortion group claimed responsibility for the theft, but police remained sceptical.
Then in March 1994, the gallery received a £700,000 ($1m) ransom demand for the painting. The gallery board refused to pay, unsure that the demand was genuine.
In May 1994, Norwegian and British police mounted an undercover sting which uncovered the painting, unharmed, in the seaside town outside Oslo where Edvard Munch painted many of his most famous paintings.
In January 1996, four men were convicted and sentenced in connection with the theft.
One of the two thieves who carried out the raid, Paal Enger, is now a legitimate art buyer, acquiring his first Munch - an unsigned lithograph - at auction in 2001.
In August 2004, another version of The Scream was stolen in Oslo along with Munch's The Madonna, this time from the Munch Museum. Three men were found guilty of charges relating to the theft of these two paintings by a court in Norway in May 2006.
In August 2006, Oslo police recovered both the Scream and The Madonna. They had minor marks and tears and were put back on show in September 2006 at the Munch Museum - this time protected in heavy glass boxes. "
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC (Join to see) Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen Lt Col Charlie Brown Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Maj William W. "Bill" Price Maj Marty Hogan SCPO Morris Ramsey SSG John Ross SGT Mark Halmrast Sgt Randy Wilber Sgt John H. SGT Gregory Lawritson CPL Dave Hoover SPC Margaret Higgins SrA Christopher Wright Cpl Gabriel F. Cpl Scott McCarroll
How I recovered The Scream' - Witness - BBC News
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOtTBKog_ko
Background from the BBC onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/12/newsid_3591000/3591994.stm
"1994: Art thieves snatch Scream
Thieves have stolen one of the world's best-known paintings from a gallery in the Norwegian capital, Oslo.
Two men took just 50 seconds to climb a ladder, smash through a window of the National Art Museum in Oslo and cut The Scream, by Edvard Munch, from the wall with wire cutters.
The cutters were left behind along with a short ladder as the men fled with the painting. The entire incident was filmed by security cameras.
The director of the museum, Knut Berg, said, "It is impossible to estimate the value of the painting.
"But it is Norway's most valuable, Munch's most renowned, and it would be impossible to sell."
Getaway vehicle
The museum's alarm went off at 0630 local time (0530 GMT) and a security guard immediately alerted police, who arrived within minutes.
Police officers are searching for a Mercedes car thought to have been used as a getaway vehicle.
The painting was in the gallery as the highlight of a Norwegian Culture Festival staged in connection with the Winter Olympics which start today in Lillehammer.
There is widespread speculation that the theft may have some connection with the Games, possibly as a publicity stunt by campaigners. Art experts believe the painting is so well-known that it is unsaleable.
The museum is facing strong criticism over its security after it was revealed that the masterpiece had been moved from the more secure first floor to the ground floor for the exhibition. It is believed to have been uninsured.
Iconic
The stolen painting is regarded as the most important of the four versions Edvard Munch painted of The Scream, and was created in 1893 as part of his Frieze of Life series in which sickness, death, anxiety and love are central themes.
The haunting depiction of a skull-like face wide-mouthed in agony and despair before a blood-red sunset has become an icon of human anguish across the world.
Several other Munch paintings have recently been stolen: six years ago, another well-known masterpiece, The Vampire, was stolen from the Munch Museum in Oslo, but was later recovered, as was a lithograph, Madonna, which disappeared in 1990.
Another painting, Portrait Study, was taken from the National Art Museum last August and is still missing.
Initially, a radical Norwegian anti-abortion group claimed responsibility for the theft, but police remained sceptical.
Then in March 1994, the gallery received a £700,000 ($1m) ransom demand for the painting. The gallery board refused to pay, unsure that the demand was genuine.
In May 1994, Norwegian and British police mounted an undercover sting which uncovered the painting, unharmed, in the seaside town outside Oslo where Edvard Munch painted many of his most famous paintings.
In January 1996, four men were convicted and sentenced in connection with the theft.
One of the two thieves who carried out the raid, Paal Enger, is now a legitimate art buyer, acquiring his first Munch - an unsigned lithograph - at auction in 2001.
In August 2004, another version of The Scream was stolen in Oslo along with Munch's The Madonna, this time from the Munch Museum. Three men were found guilty of charges relating to the theft of these two paintings by a court in Norway in May 2006.
In August 2006, Oslo police recovered both the Scream and The Madonna. They had minor marks and tears and were put back on show in September 2006 at the Munch Museum - this time protected in heavy glass boxes. "
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC (Join to see) Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen Lt Col Charlie Brown Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Maj William W. "Bill" Price Maj Marty Hogan SCPO Morris Ramsey SSG John Ross SGT Mark Halmrast Sgt Randy Wilber Sgt John H. SGT Gregory Lawritson CPL Dave Hoover SPC Margaret Higgins SrA Christopher Wright Cpl Gabriel F. Cpl Scott McCarroll
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Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen
I would hope so as well, but then European legal systems are screwier than the US system, so who knows.
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SGT Brian Nile SGT Robert George SFC Shirley Whitfield MSG Mark Million Christine C Cullinan COL Lee Flemming SFC George Smith SrA Christopher Wright LTC (Join to see) PO1 William "Chip" Nagel SSgt Harvey "Skip" Porter SCPO Morris Ramsey SFC William Farrell PO1 Tony Holland SGT (Join to see) Alan K. SPC Mike Lake SFC Anthony Beck LTC Greg Henning SSgt (Join to see)
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