Techotic

A version of Edvard Munch’s masterpiece “The Scream”, which was stolen from the Munch Museum on Aug 22, 2004 has gone back on public display, despite it suffering from permanent damage.

Two men have been convicted and jail for stealing the paintings (’The Scream’ and ‘Madonna Revisited’). The Edvard Munch’s master pieces were recovered a year after it was stolen, but “The Scream” has suffered water damage to the lower left corner.

“There has been an extremely comprehensive process to restore the paintings. There was significant damage,” said Gro Balas, of the city of Oslo, which owns the museum. “There is still a moisture stain on ‘The Scream’ that cannot be repaired.”

“The Scream” is probably the best known of Munch’s emotionally charged works and was a major influence on the Expressionist movement.

In four versions of the painting, a waif-like figure is apparently screaming or hearing a scream. The image has become a modern icon of human anxiety.

Mette Havrevold, who led the restoration effort, said damage to “Madonna” included cuts and tears that were repaired by gluing threads of canvas in the damaged areas back together one at a time. She said the damage that can still be seen in the painting will be repaired later in the year.

“It has been a long process. and the past year and a half has been marked by hard work and long days,” she said about the restoration.

[via metro uk]