Environmentalists Wanted to Hold on to Munch’s “Scream” – Attack Fails Search for Nuclear Waste in Germany Has Delayed

In the oil country of Norway, climate and environmental activists have tried to cling to the frame of a world-famous painting by artist Edvard Munch.

Guards at the National Museum in Oslo arrested three people, two of whom tried to cling to a painting, Oslo police said Friday. It was about the motif “The Scream”. The attempt failed, but glue residue remained on the glass holder, the police write on Twitter. Damage to the painting was not reported.

“The Scream” is considered the most famous motif of the Norwegian artist Munch (1863-1944). One version from 1893 hangs in the Scandinavian country’s new national museum, and three others in the Munch Museum, also in the capital Oslo.

The activists came from the group “Stop oljeletinga” (Stop Oil Exploration). Three women from Finland, Denmark and Germany have been arrested, according to police – their connection to Norway is under investigation. In a statement, the group called, among other things, for the immediate cessation of all licenses for the exploration and development of new oil and gas deposits on the Norwegian continental shelf. Norway is one of the largest oil and gas producers in the world.

In recent weeks, activists have attacked several works of art in various European museums and galleries to draw attention to the climate and environmental crisis, including in Potsdam. In mid-October, tomato soup was thrown at the famous work “Sunflowers” by Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh at the National Gallery in London, after which activists from the “Just Stop Oil” group lingered next to it. (sda/dpa)