COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A Norwegian museum says a small, barely visible sentence written on Edvard Munch’s 1893 masterpiece “The Scream” was penned by the Norwegian painter himself.
The painting, which shows a waif-like figure cradling its head in its hands with mouth agape, has become a global icon for human anxiety.
The sentence, “can only have been painted by a madman," was scribbled in the top left-hand corner.
The painting will be exhibited at the new National Museum of Norway, which is opening next year.
A curator said Monday the inscription was likely made in 1895, when Munch exhibited the painting for the first time and was met with questions about his mental health.