Man Sentenced for Theft of "The Scream"

A robber responsible for abetting the theft of the famous painting “The Scream” and “Madonna” was convicted for the crime on Monday, five years after the paintings were stolen from their display in Oslo, Norway.

Bjoern Hoen, who provided the escape vehicle for the armed robbers, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison by the Oslo Court of Appeals. His sentence was reduced from eight and a half years as he apparently did not know the famous paintings would be the target of the crime. Hoen will also not be financially responsible for damages that occurred to the paintings- “The Scream” was significantly scratched and stained during the 2004 heist.

The unguarded paintings were stolen from the museum in 2004 by armed robbers Petter Tharaldsen and Stian Skjold, both of whom are currently serving sentences. The paintings were recovered in 2006, and put on display for five days before undergoing restoration. Both Tharaldsen and Skjold were ordered to pay for the estimated damages.

“The Scream,” featuring an anguished figure in front of a red sky, is the most famous of the recovered paintings by Norwegian expressionist Edvard Munch. The series has grown more popular in years thanks to popular artist Andy Warhol’s silk screening of the image and as the inspiration for the famous “Scream” Halloween mask in the Wes Craven horror movies.

The Munch Museum robbery was the second high profile theft of the series, following a 1994 robbery from the National Gallery. Both paintings are now back on display.