Last night, an 1895 pastel version of Edvard Munch's The Scream sold for a record-setting $119,922,500 at Sotheby's Impressionist and Modern Art Sales. The price, which included a buyer's premium, was well over the $80 million the auction house believed the iconic image would capture.
This version of The Scream, one of four total and one of two pastels (this is considered to be the most vibrant of all the versions), broke the record set by the 2010 sale of Picasso's Nude, Green Leaves and Bust, which went for $106.5 million. When Sotheby's announced it was up for auction in February, Simon Shaw, Sotheby's senior VP, said, "Instantly recognizable, this is one of very few images which transcends art history and reaches a global consciousness. The Scream arguably embodies even greater power today than when it was conceived... For collectors and institutions, the opportunity to acquire such a singularly-influential masterpiece is unprecedented in recent times."
The buyer is unknown. According to the Wall Street Journal:
And the NY Times reportsIn a dogged contest at the auction house's New York saleroom, the bidding for Munch's "Scream" began at $40 million and shot up quickly, with five bidders from the U.S. and China competing for the sunset-colored portrait. But as the price topped $80 million, the fight came down to a pair of telephone bidders and the room, hushed as a church service, whispered as the bids logged higher. When the bidding crossed the $100 million mark, an auction first, auctioneer Tobias Meyer adjusted his tuxedo jacket and told the bidders, "Can I say I love you?" The room chuckled. After 12 minutes, the gavel fell and Charlie Moffett, a Sotheby's specialist who often represents American buyers, fielded the anonymous winning phone bid.
, "As soon as the hammer fell, rumors began circulating about who the buyer could be. Among the names floated were the financier Leonard Blavatnik, the Microsoft tycoon Paul Allen and members of the Qatari royal family. While some were surprised at the price, one Munch enthusiast was not: 'It’s nice to see the centrality of Norway in the mainstream of western culture,' said Ivor Braka, a London dealer. 'The scream is more than a painting, it’s a symbol of psychology as it anticipates the 20th-century traumas of mankind.'"
The painting was sold by Norwegian businessman Petter Olsen, whose father Thomas was a friend, neighbor and patron of Munch. Olsen previously said the proceeds "will go toward the establishment of a new museum, art centre and hotel on my farm Ramme Gaard at Hvitsten, Norway. It will open next year in connection with the Munch 150th anniversary, and will be dedicated to the artist’s work and time there. We are restoring his house and studio, and guests can stay in his home."
