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April 28, 2005

Oh for God's sake.

Art theft. Because if some millionaire bastard can't have it, then no one can.

Rumor has it that Munch's "The Scream," stolen in August of 2004, might have been burned by the thieves in a panic to destroy evidence with the cops closing in. Lovely.

I was never a huge fan of "The Scream" in particular, and I still think the quoted estimate of what it could get at a legal auction ($75 million) is goddamn absurd. But I really can't think of a more degenerate use of obscene wealth than paying a mob of idiots to run off with a painting.

Which, of course, was probably painted by some poor sap who died in pauperdom.

Posted by Spike at April 28, 2005 11:00 PM

Comments

It took me a few days to come to this conclusion, but I really feel like screaming. It really makes me feel like screaming.

Arden Lawrence

Posted by Arden Lawrence at April 29, 2005 01:50 AM
66.214.130.95

I seem to recall Munch died moderately wealthy at a great age. Let me check.
Well, Wikipedia doesn't mention his finances much...

Posted by Reinder at April 29, 2005 05:11 AM
82.73.16.100

Munch seems to have been quite comfortably off, to the point where he bought his own mansion-ish home. As to Scream, he painted numerous versions, some of which haven't been stolen and burned yet... but it's still a goddamned shame. And Madonna, the other stolen painting, is (was?) one of my favourites. Bah.

Posted by annetten at April 29, 2005 05:36 AM
158.36.146.10

Wow. Some people are just fuckers, aren't they?

Posted by Lea at April 29, 2005 08:06 AM
67.11.143.251

Well, color me duh. Good to hear that someone, somewhere who's paintings go for a trillion dollars a piece didn't freeze in a paris gutter in a drunken stupor.

But yeah, people are still dicks.

Posted by spike at April 29, 2005 10:17 AM
68.20.27.29

That's just awful. And extremely stupid of them.

Posted by Andre at April 29, 2005 11:15 AM
142.166.237.112

Yeah, that sucks. I'm actually fairly keen on Munch, and Expressionism in general.

This is a perfect example of why the "Art World" is completly ridiculous. I've taken to calling myself an illustrator, even when I'm sculpting, just to distance myself from it.

Posted by spookable at April 30, 2005 09:40 AM
68.210.251.133

Who the fuck is munch?

Posted by Dan at May 16, 2005 12:43 AM
207.200.116.72

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