{"id":3623,"date":"2012-05-02T11:35:20","date_gmt":"2012-05-02T11:35:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artcorner.com\/?p=3623"},"modified":"2012-05-02T11:35:20","modified_gmt":"2012-05-02T11:35:20","slug":"munch-the-scream-is-up-for-auction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.overstockart.com\/blog\/munch-the-scream-is-up-for-auction\/","title":{"rendered":"Munch The Scream is Up For Auction!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Munch<\/a>In an unprecedented event, Sotheby\u2019s is holding an Impressionist<\/a> and Modern Art<\/a> Evening Sale today on Wednesday, May 2, 2012, in New York City. Why is this unprecedented? Because of the lead and featured work in the sale, as Sotheby describes it: \u201cthe defining image of the Expressionist movement\u201d: Edvard Munch\u2019s THE SCREAM<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When the auction news broke in February, it spread like global wildfire, igniting the art world, THE SCREAM<\/a> is one of the most famous and haunting masterpieces in the world, the Impressionist image of a person, mid-scream, is the most recognized image of any piece of artwork (and also the most stolen), save for, perhaps, the MONA LISA. For a little over three months, art lovers, collectors, and patrons have been waiting in anxious anticipation of this day.<\/p>\n

And now, it\u2019s nearly here.<\/p>\n

On display at Sotheby\u2019s since April 27, officials at the auction house estimate that the piece could garner more than $80 million, one of the highest prices paid for any piece of art anywhere in the world. Experts across the world suggest that THE SCREAM could break the art auction record held by Pablo Picasso\u2019s \u201cNude, green leaves and bust\u201d in 2010, which sold for an auction record of $106.5 million. The final sales price speculated? Anywhere between $125 – $150 million dollars, smashing any price paid in the history of the auction art world.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an image ingrained within our culture, recognized globally. From posters and prints, from teapots to t-shirts, from mugs to magnets to mousepads, THE SCREAM\u2019s popularity perhaps stems from a visual representation of universal human emotions: modern anxiety, angst, and dread.<\/p>\n

Edvard Munch<\/a> created four versions of THE SCREAM:<\/p>\n