Stolen paintings not insured

2004-08-23 10:14

Oslo - Two masterpieces by the Norwegian artist Edvard Munch stolen from an Oslo museum at the weekend were not insured against theft, officials said on Monday.

The Scream, one of the most famous images ever painted, and Madonna were grabbed on Sunday morning by armed and hooded thieves who burst into the Munch Museum in the Norwegian capital, threatening a member of staff with a gun.

"The pictures were insured in case of fire or damage from water but not for theft or burglary," said John Oeyaas of Oslo Forsikring, which is responsible for insuring the assets of the city of Oslo.

"They are irreplaceable works and it makes no sense to insure them against theft," he said.

Some experts had speculated on Sunday that as the works should be impossible to sell owing to their fame it was possible the thieves had stolen them with the aim of blackmailing insurance companies.

The collection of the Munch Museum, which comprises 1 100 paintings, 3 000 drawings and 18 000 etchings is insured for $74.3m but experts believe that The Scream alone is worth that amount.

Munch (1863-1944) painted four versions of the work, of which the Munch Museum held two - the one stolen on Sunday and another in reserve. A private collector owns a third.

- AFP