‘The Scream’ sets record at auction at $120 million

NEW YORK – One of the art world’s most recognizable images – Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” – sold Wednesday for a record $119,922,500 at auction in New York.

The 1895 artwork – a modern symbol of human anxiety – was sold at Sotheby’s. Neither the buyer’s name nor any details about the buyer was released.

The previous record for an artwork sold at auction was $106.5 million for Picasso’s “Nude, Green Leaves, and Bust,” sold by Christie’s in 2010.

Munch’s image of a man holding his head and screaming under a streaked, blood-red sky is one of four versions by the Norwegian expressionist painter. The auctioned piece at Sotheby’s was the only one left in private hands.

Bidding started at $40 million with seven buyers jumping into the competition early. The battle eventually boiled down to two phone bidders as the historic hammer price was finally achieved after more than 12 minutes. The record price includes the auction house’s fee.

Sotheby’s said the pastel-on-board version of “The Scream” is the most colorful and vibrant of the four, and the only version whose frame was hand-painted by the artist to include his poem, detailing the work’s inspiration.

In the poem, Munch described himself “shivering with anxiety” and said he felt “the great scream in nature.”

Norwegian businessman Petter Olsen, whose father was a friend and patron of the artist, said he sold the piece through Sotheby’s because he felt “the moment has come to offer the rest of the world the chance to own and appreciate this remarkable work.”

Proceeds from the sale will go toward the establishment of a new museum, art center and hotel in Hvitsten, Norway, where Olsen’s father and Munch were neighbors.