COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) 鈥� Norwegian police said two activists tried in vain Friday to glue themselves to Edvard Munch鈥檚 1893 masterpiece 鈥淭he Scream鈥� at an Oslo museum and no harm was reported to the painting of a waif-like figure appearing to scream.
Police said they were alerted by the National Museum of Norway and had three people under their 鈥渃ontrol.鈥� A third person filmed the pair that tried to affix to the painting, Norwegian news agency NTB said.
The museum said that the room where the glass-protected painting is exhibited 鈥渨as emptied of the public and closed,鈥� and will reopen as soon as possible. The rest of museum remained open.
Police said there was glue residue on the glass mount.
A video of the incident showed museum guards holding two activists, with one shouting "I scream for people dying." Another shouted 鈥淚 scream when lawmakers ignore science鈥� as someone shielded 鈥淭he Scream.鈥�
Environmental activists from the Norwegian organization 鈥淪topp oljeletinga鈥� 鈥� Norwegian for Stop Oil Exploration 鈥� were behind the stunt, saying they 鈥渨anted to pressure lawmakers into stopping oil exploration.鈥� Norway is a major producer of offshore oil and gas.
It was the latest episode in which climate activists have targeted famous paintings in European museums.
鈥淲e are campaigning against 鈥楽cream鈥� because it is perhaps Norway鈥檚 most famous painting,鈥� Astrid Rem, a spokesperson for the Norwegian group, told The Associated Press. 鈥淭here have been lots of similar actions around Europe. They have managed something that no other action has managed: achieve an extremely large amount of coverage and press.鈥�
Two Belgian activists who targeted Johannes Vermeer鈥檚 in a Dutch museum in October were sentenced to two months in prison. The painting wasn't damaged and was returned to its wall a day later.
Earlier this month, at a Claude Monet painting in a German museum and a similar protest happened in London, where over Vincent van Gogh鈥檚 鈥淪unflowers鈥� at the National Gallery. In both those cases, the paintings also weren't damaged.
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Jan M. Olsen, The Associated Press
