Munch’s The Scream: The Real Krakatoa Sky, the Hidden Inscription, Four Versions, and Two Thefts

May 21, 2026

Edvard Munch The Scream guide — DeckArts Berlin

Last updated: May 2026 · By Stanislav Arnautov · Berlin

Quick answer

Edvard Munch’s The Scream exists in four versions. The orange sky is not imaginary: it was caused by volcanic ash from Krakatoa’s 1883 eruption. The 1895 pastel sold at Sotheby’s for $119.9 million in 2012. The hidden inscription “Can only have been painted by a madman” was confirmed by infrared analysis in 2021. Two thefts: 1994 and 2004, both recovered. DeckArts Berlin from ~$140.

The Scream is the most over-reproduced and under-understood work in the history of Western art. It has become a ubiquitous symbol of generic anxiety — and in the process has almost completely lost contact with what it actually is: a specific self-portrait by a specific Norwegian artist on a specific evening in 1892, under an orange sky that was real and scientifically explainable. External references: Munch Museum Oslo — The Scream; Nasjonalmuseet Oslo — The Scream (1893).

The Four Versions: Which Scream You Know

1893 tempera (Nasjonalmuseet Oslo): The primary version, 91 × 73.5 cm. Most widely reproduced. Stolen 1994, recovered 1994. See Nasjonalmuseet Oslo collection entry.

1893 pastel (Munch Museum Oslo): Stolen 2004 at gunpoint, recovered 2006. See Munch Museum Oslo.

1895 pastel (private collection): Sold Sotheby’s May 2012 for $119.9 million. Finest surface quality of the four. Currently in private hands.

1910 tempera (Munch Museum Oslo): Most schematic version. DeckArts bases its reproduction on the 1893 tempera — the most emotionally intense version.

The Krakatoa Sky: The Real Orange

Munch recorded in his diary (January 22, 1892): “suddenly the sky turned blood-red — there was blood and tongues of fire above the blue-black fjord.” This was not imaginary. The blood-red sky has been identified by atmospheric scientists as the optical afterglow of Krakatoa’s August 27, 1883 eruption. The eruption injected approximately 20 cubic kilometres of volcanic ash into the stratosphere. The aerosol layer scattered short wavelengths (blue, green) while transmitting long wavelengths (red, orange) — producing blood-red sunset afterglows observed across the Northern Hemisphere through 1883–1886 and intermittently into the early 1890s. Smaller eruptions in 1891–1892 may have sustained the effect over Norway into 1892. The sky Munch saw was physically real.

The Hidden Inscription: Confirmed 2021

In February 2021, Nasjonalmuseet Oslo researchers confirmed by infrared reflectography that a pencil inscription near the upper left corner of the 1893 tempera reads “Kan kun være malet av en gal mand!” (“Can only have been painted by a madman!”) and that it is in Munch’s own handwriting. The inscription was most likely written in direct response to the hostile critical reception at the 1892 Berlin exhibition, where critics attributed the work to mental illness and the exhibition was closed after one week. Munch wrote on his own painting, in pencil, a sardonic or defensive self-annotation. See Nasjonalmuseet 2021 press release.

$119.9 Million: The 2012 Sotheby’s Sale

The 1895 pastel sold at Sotheby’s New York on May 2, 2012, for $119,922,500 (including buyer’s premium) — then the highest auction price ever achieved for a work on paper and one of the five highest auction prices ever for any work of art. Bidding took approximately 12 minutes; the buyer was an anonymous telephone bidder. The seller was Petter Olsen, whose father Thomas Olsen had been Munch’s close friend and neighbour and had acquired the work directly from Munch.

Munch’s Biography: The Artist Who Survived Himself

Edvard Munch (b.1863 Løten, Norway; d.1944 Ekely, Norway) lived 80 years. His mother died of tuberculosis when he was five; his sister Sophie died of tuberculosis when he was thirteen. His father suffered severe religious depression. These deaths formed the biographical foundation of his engagement with illness, death, and anxiety. He conceived of his major works as chapters of a “Frieze of Life” (Love, Awakening, Anxiety, Death) — The Scream belongs to the Anxiety chapter. In October 1908, he voluntarily committed himself to a clinic in Copenhagen for severe alcoholism and depression, remaining 8 months. After release he described himself as fundamentally changed. He died at Ekely in January 1944, age 80. Full biography: Munch Museum Oslo — About Edvard Munch.

The Thefts: 1994 and 2004

1994 (Nasjonalmuseet Oslo): February 12, 1994 — the opening morning of the Lillehammer Winter Olympics. Two men broke a window, removed the 1893 tempera in approximately 50 seconds, left a note reading “Thank you for the poor security.” Recovered 3 months later in a sting operation involving British art security specialist Charley Hill posing as a Getty Museum representative. Four men convicted.

2004 (Munch Museum Oslo): August 22, 2004. Two masked men at gunpoint removed the 1893 pastel Scream and Munch’s Madonna in approximately 2 minutes in front of museum visitors. Recovered August 2006 when Norwegian police arrested three men. Minor damage restored by Munch Museum conservation team.

The Scream in Your Interior: Where and How to Hang It

Displayed with full biographical knowledge, The Scream is the most specifically documented atmospheric and psychological self-portrait in the Western art canon. Best wall colour: forest green or warm charcoal. The orange Krakatoa sky advances most dramatically from a cool organic dark ground. On forest green: orange-on-green complementary contrast creates maximum visceral impact. On warm charcoal: maximum compositional clarity with contemporary aesthetic. Best position: above or facing the desk in a study; beside the bed at close range (50–80 cm) in a teenager’s bedroom for the specific close-encounter reading. DeckArts product: Edvard Munch’s The Scream — Single Deck (~$140).

FAQ

How many versions of The Scream exist?

Four: 1893 tempera (Nasjonalmuseet Oslo); 1893 pastel (Munch Museum Oslo, stolen 2004 recovered 2006); 1895 pastel (private, $119.9M Sotheby’s 2012); 1910 tempera (Munch Museum Oslo). DeckArts reproduces the 1893 tempera. Munch Museum Oslo. DeckArts from ~$140.

Is the orange sky in The Scream real?

Yes. Munch’s January 22, 1892 diary records a blood-red sky over Oslo confirmed as the optical afterglow of Krakatoa’s 1883 eruption — volcanic stratospheric aerosols scattered blue wavelengths and transmitted red/orange, producing enhanced sunset coloration across the Northern Hemisphere. DeckArts from ~$140.

Who wrote the inscription on The Scream?

Edvard Munch himself — confirmed by Nasjonalmuseet infrared reflectography February 2021. The pencil inscription (“Can only have been painted by a madman!”) matches Munch’s documented handwriting. Written in response to hostile 1892 Berlin exhibition. Nasjonalmuseet Oslo. DeckArts from ~$140.