The Scream

The Scream (1893) by Edvard Munch

The Scream is Edvard Munch's most famous painting. It is an example of modern art.^[1]

The picture shows an imaginary creature with its mouth and eyes open.

Munch got the idea for the painting when he was walking with friends. It was sunset and the sky was red, like the color of blood. Munch heard a sound in his ears, like the sound of nature screaming.^[1]

The painting was made with oil, tempera and pastel on cardboard. The size of the painting is 91 x 73.5 cm (35 7/8 x 29"). The painting is in the Nasjonalgalleriet (National Gallery) in Oslo, Norway.^[2]

From 1893 to 1910, Munch made four paintings of “The Scream”. Three of the paintings are in Norwegian museums. The fourth painting has a private owner.^[3]

In 1994, thieves stole the painting from the Norwegian National Gallery. Three months later, the painting was found. The value of the painting is about $55 million.^[4]

The Scream Media

Norwegian painter Edvard Munch by Anders Beer Wilse
A Peruvian mummy at La Specola, Florence
The Scream by artist Edvard Munch. Lithography, 1895.
Pencil inscription on the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design of Norway's The Scream
The Scream back in the National Gallery after recovery and before restoration, September 2006.
US Department of Energy Scream
1893, pastel on cardboard. As possibly the earliest execution of The Scream, this appears to be the version in which Munch mapped out the essentials of the composition.
1893, oil, tempera and pastel on cardboard. The first version publicly displayed, and perhaps the most recognizable is located at the National Museum of Norway in Oslo.
1895, lithograph print. About 45 prints were made before the printer re-used the lithograph stone. A few were hand-coloured by Munch.