Munch

I recently had the time to go back and read the NY Times articles that I've been saving and came across this one regarding the fate of the thieves who made off with Munch's "The Scream" and "Madonna" a few years ago.

Art theft is something I've never really understood. Particularly pieces as famous as these. I mean, what can they possibly DO with them? Hold them for ransom? Keep them in a private vault and never look at them? It's not as if the coast will ever be clear enough to sell them. Maybe it's one of those power trip kinds of things: "I have something special and I'm not telling where it is. So there. And YOU can't look at it, even though it's really cool."

I'm certainly upset that the paintings are missing. Munch is one of the big influential artists for me, and visiting the Munch Museum in Oslo is one of my dream trips. Not that I'm not grateful that the thieves were caught and prosecuted, because I am. But thefts of this sort are cruel. Art needs to be seen, not hidden away, and certainly not damaged.

Here's hoping the paintings are returned unharmed.