# Edward Munch paintings burned
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edward-munch-paintings-burned/301510
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [April 28, 2005, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edward-munch-paintings-burned/301510 "2005-04-28T07:43:08Z")
**Posts on this page:** 16
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Rune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rune)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2005, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edward-munch-paintings-burned/301510/1 "2005-04-28T07:43:08Z")
Rumours have it the stolen paintings, [The Scream](http://www.munch.museum.no/en/artworks/images/skrik.jpg) & [Madonna](http://www.munch.museum.no/en/artworks/images/madonna.jpg), by Edward Munch have been burned to remove incriminating evidence. If true, those goddamn thieving bastards should be broken on a wheel in the city square and the day proclaimed public holyday of rejoice. And I mean that absolutely literally. Bring back the Middle Ages, invite the fucking Taliban. Burn them on the stake to remove incriminating evidence of human stupidity. die die die die die die
---
### Author:  [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2005, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edward-munch-paintings-burned/301510/2 "2005-04-28T07:50:09Z")
Can you cite these rumors? I mean… yes, that’d be absolutely horrible, but isn’t it a bit soon to jump to conclusions and start with the outrage and the gnashing of teeth and the lamentations and…
---
### Author:  [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2005, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edward-munch-paintings-burned/301510/3 "2005-04-28T07:56:22Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#):
>
> Can you cite these rumors? I mean… yes, that’d be absolutely horrible, but isn’t it a bit soon to jump to conclusions and start with the outrage and the gnashing of teeth and the lamentations and…
Nah, because they deserve all that for just stealing them. Now if they burned them, the punishment should be much worse!
---
### Author:  [@Rune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rune)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2005, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edward-munch-paintings-burned/301510/4 "2005-04-28T08:03:20Z")
> **[\- Maleriene er brent opp](https://www.dagbladet.no/nyheter/maleriene-er-brent-opp/66090175)**
>
> Oslo-politiet frykter at involverte i Munch-ranet har brent opp kunstskattene «Skrik» og «Madonna».
> [@](#):
>
> Paintings burned
>
> The police in Oslo fears the thieving bastards in the Munch burglary have burned the art treasures: The Scream and Madonna.
>
> The reason should have been to destroy incrimination evidence.
>
> A trustworthy and central source in the criminal underground of Oslo confirms to the Dagbladet (newspaper) that the paintings have been burned, and that they for a period after the burglary were kept in a summer cottage.
>
> From a confidential police report it is evident that the detectives have the same information as the Dagblad.
>
> […]
die die die
---
### Author:  [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2005, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edward-munch-paintings-burned/301510/5 "2005-04-28T08:07:17Z")
Oh “Nye pågripelser”!
Why didn’t you just say that in the first place!
(Can you give me a hint on how/what program I could use to translate that page or maybe give me a rundown of what it says?)
---
### Author:  [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2005, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edward-munch-paintings-burned/301510/6 "2005-04-28T08:08:52Z")
Oh, wait, never mind. I didn’t realize that you were translating it along with the link. Don’t know how I missed that… ah well. Brain no work. Sleep time now. Sorry for dumb me. Uggg smash.
---
### Author:  [@hildea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hildea)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2005, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edward-munch-paintings-burned/301510/7 "2005-04-28T08:12:38Z")
According to the somewhat more sober Aftenposten([in Norwegian](http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/iriks/article1028328.ece)), the comments from the police go “This is completely unknown for the police in Oslo”, and a laconic “normally, we don’t use Dagbladet as a source for reliable information”.
As for going medieval if it’s true – the paintings are _things_. Stuff. Great works of art, sure, national treasures, sure, but not worth anyone’s blood.
---
### Author:  [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2005, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edward-munch-paintings-burned/301510/8 "2005-04-28T08:16:11Z")
If you can grok [this translation,](http://www.tranexp.com:2000/InterTran?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dagbladet.no%2Fnyheter%2F2005%2F04%2F28%2F430105.html&type=text&text=&from=nor&to=eng) you’re better at it than I am.
The [recent link](http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1026467.ece) from Norway (in English) I was able to find didn’t mention anything about burning.
Good news is that there are 3 other versions of The Scream. Bad news is that the paintings that were stolen, WERE NOT INSURED! :eek:
---
### Author:  [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2005, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edward-munch-paintings-burned/301510/9 "2005-04-28T08:25:54Z")
Well… I do not grok in fullness. Waiting is.
> [@](#):
>
> Maleriene am burnt up…
> Background do be about be feel to assasinate trap advice…
> David The dummies became captured in Malaga Spain for dates back to weeks after…
> Police am mighty economical along with details in Munch- issue but neither at they aim do be about so far be attatched to somebody ranet by technical get egg on.
I should’ve been happy with “Nye pågripelser”
By the way, what translation software did you use?
Oh, and, towards the OP: although punishment won’t bring the artwork back, I do think they should throw the book at the thieves, whether the paintings were burned or not.
---
### Author:  [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2005, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edward-munch-paintings-burned/301510/10 "2005-04-28T08:31:55Z")
[Translator](http://www.tranexp.com:2000/InterTran?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dagbladet.no%2Fnyheter%2F2005%2F04%2F28%2F430105.html&type=text&text=&from=nor&to=eng) I used.
BTW, I don’t _think_ the OP is seriously proposing the death penalty, and I know I’m not either. Sometimes revenge is sweetest if it’s only fulfilled as a fantasy in your mind.
---
### Author:  [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2005, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edward-munch-paintings-burned/301510/11 "2005-04-28T08:34:00Z")
Ooops.
[Translator](http://www.translation-guide.com/free_online_translators.php?from=English&to=Norwegian) I used.
---
### Author:  [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2005, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edward-munch-paintings-burned/301510/12 "2005-04-28T08:34:18Z")
Don’t panic. I’ve got a poster of The Scream if you need reminding what it looks like.
It’s even more commonly reproduced than that bloody old Klimt thing with the couple curled up in bed under the doona.
Y’know, sometimes the commercialisation of art does it a disservice.
😛
---
### Author:  [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2005, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edward-munch-paintings-burned/301510/13 "2005-04-28T12:04:12Z")
Why would anyone steal a painting only to destroy it because they were afraid they might be caught? Perhaps they should have thought of that before they stole one of the most famous paintings in the world, hm?
This doesn’t make sense.
---
### Author:  [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2005, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edward-munch-paintings-burned/301510/14 "2005-04-28T12:22:32Z")
I can tell you why they stole the paintings.
Each canvas concealed part of a special crystal. When the crystal is assembled, and an ordinary beam of sunlight passes through it, it will power a _Machina del Oro_ (That’s “Gold Machine,” for those at home.) capable of transforming lead into gold. The hapless theives were merely dupes of an evil supervillian (or supervilinas) planning to flood the market with cheap gold, devaluing the currency and . . .
No . . . wait . . . sorry . . . that was the plot to _Hudson Hawk_.
---
### Author:  [@hildea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hildea)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2005, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edward-munch-paintings-burned/301510/15 "2005-04-28T12:33:19Z")
There’s a theory that the Munch robbery was just a diversion:
> [@Aftenposten](#):
>
> Now investigators say they cannot rule out that the robbery of Munch masterpieces “The Scream” and “Madonna” from the Munch Museum in Oslo on August 22 last year was part of an advance maneuver from the band behind the NOKAS heist. The goal would have been to tie up investigative resources by creating a spectacular art theft.
[(more info)](http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1011962.ece). In the NOKAS heist, armed robbers made off with 60 million kroner (approx 9 million dollars) and killed a policeman.
---
### Author:  [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2005, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edward-munch-paintings-burned/301510/16 "2005-04-28T12:57:18Z")
Can we compromise on a savage beating? I don’t actually love the paintings that much, myself, but a good excuse for a savage beating is always good.