What you are looking at
A figure with a skull-like face clutches its head on a road with a railing, under a sky streaked blood red and orange over a blue fjord. Two figures walk away in the background. Everything except the bridge railing bends and ripples as if it were vibrating.
Why it is famous
Munch made several versions: the 1893 painting in the National Museum in Oslo, a crayon version and a 1910 painted version at the Munch Museum in Oslo, an 1895 pastel that sold at auction in 2012, and a lithograph that spread the image widely. He described the moment that inspired it, walking at sunset by the fjord, as sensing a great scream passing through nature. The National Museum's version was stolen in 1994 and the Munch Museum's in 2004; both were recovered.
How big is The Scream?
The Scream measures 91 × 73.5 cm (35.8 × 28.9 in), without its frame. Its surface is about one and a half times the area of the Mona Lisa.
Compare it with other paintings
Where to see it
The 1893 painting is at the National Museum of Norway in Oslo. It is fragile and shown under controlled light. The Munch Museum, also in Oslo, rotates its own versions so the light-sensitive ones rest between showings.
Museums move and lend paintings. Check the museum's website before you travel to see one work.
Frequently asked questions
Who painted The Scream?
Edvard Munch painted The Scream in 1893.
Where is The Scream?
The Scream is in the National Museum of Norway, Oslo, Norway.
How big is The Scream?
91 × 73.5 cm (35.8 × 28.9 in). Its surface is about one and a half times the area of the Mona Lisa.
What is The Scream made with?
Tempera and wax crayon on cardboard.
Sources: National Museum of Norway, "The Scream"; Wikidata Q471379; Wikipedia, "The Scream". Checked October 17, 2026. How we check.