There are four versions of “The Scream” by Edvard Munch. On Tuesday morning, the famous auction house, Sotheby’s, announced that one of the four will go up for sale later this spring. The auction house expects the work of art of sell for at least $80 million or more.
The drawing was done by Edvard Munch in 1895. It is a drawing of a man who is screaming and holding his head. This particular work is the only one of the four pieces that is still in a private collection. The owner, Petter Olson, a businessman from Norway, said that his father was a patron and friend of Munch’s. Olson said that even though he has lived with the art work all of his life, it’s time for the rest of the world to have a chance to see it and appreciate it.
The work is scheduled to go on the sale block on May 2. The proceeds from the sale, according to Oslen, are to go towards a new art center, museum, and hotel in Hvitsten, Norway. That is where Munch and Olsen’s father were neighbors.
Should the painting garner the $80 million price tag, then it will be one of the highest prices paid for a piece of art. There are only eight other pieces that have sold for that much at auction, according to Sotheby’s. One of Picasso’s works, “Nude, Green Leaves, and Bust,” was sold by Christie’s in 2010 for $106.5 million.
One version of the drawing is in the National Museum in Oslo, Norway. Two others are in the Munch Museum, which is also in the country’s capital.
This particular version is the most vibrant and colorful of the four. It is the only one that is housed in a hand painted frame that was done by Munch. There is also a poem about the piece. “The Scream” will be on display in both London and New York before the auction. Petra Petterson, who is the curator at the Munch Museum, said that she hopes the piece will end up on exhibit somewhere so the public may enjoy it.
