Edvard Munch: the secret of “The Scream” discovered 130 years later

For over a century, a tiny inscription on the “The Scream” by Edvard Munch, was a point of friction and intense disagreement among artists—and painters in particular—regarding whether it was an act of vandalism against the painting or a “signature-dedication” by the very person who created it.

“Only a madman could have painted it”, is written in the upper left corner of the painting, with a veil of mystery shrouding the “canvas” of its creator’s personality.

Today, 130 years after the completion of “The Scream,” those who attributed the inscription to the Norwegian painter’s distinctive artistic—and not only artistic—character can feel proud, as the secret has been revealed and the riddle solved.

After analyzing the inscription, using infrared technology, shortly before it was to be installed in a newly established art museum in Oslo, it was discovered that the inscription actually belonged to the Edvard Munch.

Analysts compared the painter’s handwriting, as seen in his letters and diaries, with that of the inscription at the top of the painting, ultimately identifying the artist and solving the mystery.

The Story of “The Scream”

“The Scream” by Edvard Munch (December 12, 1863–January 23, 1944) is one of the most iconic paintings in the history of world art.

He was inspired to create it when, according to him, while he was walking he heard “nature’s immense, infinite cry”. The anguished face in the painting is widely recognized with the stress of modern life. Between 1893 and 1910, she created two painted versions of it and two in pastel, as well as a series of prints. One of the pastels ultimately achieved the fourth-highest nominal price ever paid for a painting at auction. "The Scream" exists in four versions: two pastels (1893 and 1895) and two oil paintings (1893 and 1910). There are also several lithographs of her (from 1895 and later).

The 1895 pastel was sold at auction on May 2, 2012, for 119,922,500 U.S. dollars, including the commission. It is the most colorful of the versions [49] and is distinguished by the downward-looking pose of one of the figures in the background. It is also the only version not owned by a museum in Norway.

The 1893 version was stolen from the National Gallery in Oslo in 1994 but was recovered. The 1910 painting was stolen in 2004 from the Munch Museum in Oslo but was recovered in 2006 with minimal damage.