«The Scream» (Munch) is ruined beyond repair

[mogster]

– «The Scream» ruined forever

The moist damage to the painting is beyond repair.

The personnell at the Munch Museum has studied the damage in the Munch paintings «The Scream» and «Madonna» after they were retrieved earlier this fall. The police will receive the report from the museum during Friday.
The sudy shows that the damage to «The Scream» is of such nature that they may likely not be able to be repaired, says Nettavisen.

- Water has seeped in through one corner of the cardboard, and there are wear and tear-damage to the lower part of the painting, which makes the color look less clear. It is a visible 'stain' on the picture, says head of the museum, Ingebjørg Ydstie.
(Sorry, only Norw. link)
http://www.aftenposten.no/kul_und/article1577555.ece

[Dr Fate]

1. Hell- *I* could paint them one just like it.

JUST KIDDING- I hate when people say that kind of stuff too!!!

The bastards who stole this thing-well, they are bastards. Art like this should be for everyone, but these ultra rich collectors have to impress their buddies.

[mogster]

4. I think this was a stint by ordinary crooks

Trying to do something, to have something to bargain with during other trials.
Here are the robbers:



It is connected to other robberies, not art related.

[Contrite]

25. Still, they should have known better

They had one of the most valuable pieces of art in the world! It was their duty to care for it properly.

[laylah]

2. So very, very sad...n/t

[etherealtruth]

3. How awful

When I heard of their recovery I thought they were undamaged. This really is too bad

[mogster]

7. Some more pics

The Scream as it was before.


I feel a bit silly to be concerned about paintings in times like these, but well ;-)

[Eurobabe]

24. Don't feel sad about caring about art!

As an architectural historian who minored in non-western Architecture (Ismlamic and Asian) I am pissed about all the damage he Iraq war has done to UNESCO Heritage sites. This destruction, whether it is artwork or architecture, hurts us all as people. No need to apologize.

[DixieBlue]

32. I know ...

I mean, not only has the US turned Iraq upside down but it's destroyed so much of the heritage of not only that area of the world, but of humanity as a whole. It's just awful.

[CBHagman]

33. Add me to that list, too.

I will never forget some of the pictures of Iraqis distraught over the deaths in their land, but it's also hard to get out of my mind the images of those shocked at the cultural damage to the country. Allowing the looting to go on was completely inexcusable on so many levels, not only from a practical and community point of view (for example, the needs of schools and hospitals) but also on an archival basis.

The Bush administration's behavior is not only inexcusable but will cause additional problems for decades, perhaps centuries to come.

[KamaAina]

41. Hell, I was concerned about the New Orleans Museum of Art

in the midst of everything else that was going on down there after 8/29. The museum contains the only Impressionist works created in the Western Hemisphere (by Degas, when he stayed with relatives in Nouvelle-Orleans for a year) as well as a nice collection of Faberge eggs.

Happily (and/or wisely), the museum turned out to have been built on top of a natural ridge and so escaped major flood damage. In fact, it served as a place of refuge for many in the surrounding neighborhoods.

[psychopomp]

28. The fault circled in The Scream

was there previously. Actually, the water damage is next to it and much larger. If you look again you are sure to see it--the colors have bled away.

[DixieBlue]

30. Why feel silly?

Art is one of the great things about living. And it is a sad thing ... when a piece of great art is destroyed or damaged. Like a living thing it can never be again.

[Lipton64]

5. Sad....

that's what you get when you have lax security at such places of art and science.....

[mogster]

9. No doubt the security was lax

It's beefed up since then, though.

[Lipton64]

12. Reminds me sadly of our country

After Dubya and company slashed security on our nation's airlines - 9/11 happened. Now we have all this unneccessary over-hyped security after-the-fact.

[marmar]

6. Too bad...The Scream is one of my favorite paintings ever....

I have a few anti-Bush T-shirts and buttons with images based on "The Scream" on them.

[wtmusic]

8. If they're going to throw it away, I'll take it

It would look really nice in my office. :P

"Ruined beyond repair?" Maybe from an restoration expert's POV, but the essence of the painting is intact.

[mogster]

11. Yeah, I agree

If you see it from a point of view that a painting has a lifespan, and all that happens to it becomes a part of it's history, the painting is still intact. I guess they're not gonna give it away at any rate

I have a pastel from the 50's bought on a flea market which depicts a young girl of 4 or so, you know the magazine story-illustration style kind of drawing. It has moist damage that surrounds the picture on all sides, and I bought it because I thought it an illustration of 'decay creeping up on innocence'.

OK, so I had to go take a pic of that, lol.
No comparison with Munch, but:

[wtmusic]

13. It looks like a photo which was painted over

Her expression is interesting -- she looks frightened.

[mogster]

14. She better be

She's looking straight into my messy living room :P
I gotta start Christmas cleaning tomorrow, I guess.

[hlthe2b]

16. I think she looks frustrated...

Like a kid forced to sit too long posing for a portrait when she wanted to go play?

[lisby]

15. That's a painted photo.

Under that is a photograph. It's probably from the era 1900-1910, as well, I think. Just FYI.

Lisby

[President Jesus]

40. that thing gives me the willies

how could you have that in your home? it looks like serial-killer art.

[Lisa]

10. this makes me just want to ... you know ...

I guess it could have been worse (the stain on "The Scream" could have been larger and more central). And that gouge on "Madonna" looks bad but maybe the restorers can work on it.

But still -- these are world-famous paintings that will never be the same. I keep trying to think of this as adding to the histories which all great works of art have acquired over the years (people in 2250 will be pointing to the damaged areas and saying, "this was done by thieves way back at the beginning of the 21st century"). However, it's still rather depressing.

[lisby]

17. The museum had really poor security.

It's admirable of them to think no one is going to do this kind of shit because we're all reasonable people, but we're not, as this incident shows. I hope now they have invested in some intelligent video monitoring tied to the alarm system, at the very least...

Also, it's a series of paintings, not just one. I think there are actually three or four versions. So even if this one was utterly destroyed, we'd still have the others. Looking at the photos, I think the pictures can be stabilized and the damage addressed to some degree, as well as the color restored by conservators, if that is the route the museum to take. They are far, far from a total loss.

Lisby

[cureautismnow]

20. Indeed, another version was stolen in '94

"Munch painted several versions of his famous 1893 work.

Another version of the painting - considered to be the most significant one - was stolen from the Norwegian National Gallery in 1994 as the Winter Olympic Games began in Lillehammer, Norway."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3588282.stm

[Swede]

18. Here's some real art.

[BrotherBuzz]

19. That ain't art, this is!

[htuttle]

21. There's really only one thing you can say about this:

!!!!!!!!!!!

[MasonJar]

22. I believe that Munch painted another version or two of "The

Scream." I hope I am right; it is one of my favorites. That of course still does not alleviate the ruin to the one above in the article.

[bif]

35. I saw a whole bunch of them In Oslo

You're right, he did several versions of it.

[Miss Chybil]

23. Now the stain is part of the work. It is its history. It is what it is,

not what it was.

[Bridget Burke]

26. Marcel Duchamp's "The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even"

Has never achieved the popularity of "The Scream." But this work on large panels of glass is a Dadaist icon. Note the cracks; it broke, but Duchamp fixed it. I've seen in in several Houston shows; the De Menil's, great art patrons in our city, were fond of Dada & Surrealism.

The damage to Munch's paintings is deplorable. But they will be restored with great skill, even though scars will remain. One reason "The Scream" resonates is that many of us have felt that way at some time. But we continue--even if we bear marks of our experiences.

http://www.glinnbridge.com/Upload%20Files/dadaism/The%20Bride%20Stripped%20Bare%20by%20Her%20Bachelors,%20Even.jpg

[MrPrax]

34. How come it's greenish?

Is it just the pix 'reproduction' or is it really greenish? I have been pleasantly surprised by 'originals' in real life either way -- some pix don't do the work justice, while other photos bring out subtleties you don't notice looking on a large work. :shrug:

[mogster]

36. The Bride is a cool piece of art

Both greenish and brownish 'version' ;-)

[Bridget Burke]

37. Upon reflection, the image I posted was a bit too green.

But I was looking for one where the cracks showed up well. (Hey, I see that you found one!)

[MrPrax]

38. I was going to say...

I noticed that might have why you choose that one -- that's why I was asking...if it was purposely 'tinted' to show off the damage rather than Art.

But you are right -- the 'breaks' are quite extensive and noticeable in your find -- I just did Duchamp in Google Images to grab that one...

Duchamp is one of my favs -- he was classic nutbar. He must have been a riot to hang with...

[Bridget Burke]

39. I thank the De Menils for much of my art education

They sponsored programs at several Houston universities & museums before opening their own museum. Many a Symbolist/Dadaist/Surrealist work was seen in the city.

Finally, The Menil was founded, with a collection ranging from Cro-Magnon to last week. And a strong accent on the Surreal.
http://menil.org/

[NashVegas]

42. Exactly

And it's still great art, and great art is not defined by its perfection. Rather, just the opposite.

[GreenZoneLT]

27. Oh, well, there's till three more

Munch painted at least four of those before he turned it into a lithograph.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scream

[DixieBlue]

29. How sad ...

and what a loss.

[AngryAmish]

31. Way to go, Bush!

[truthisfreedom]

43. heh.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

44. I visited Oslo some years ago

that is bad news