Armed men took Munch's The Scream and Madonna from Oslo's Munch Museum in 2004, a court ordered two thieves to pay the city 750 million kroner, and police recovered both in 2006

Edvard Munch made a will about 1940 leaving his entire estate to the City of Oslo. The city holds it in the Munch Museum. On Sunday 22 August 2004 masked men with guns forced guards to lie on the floor, cut the cables holding The Scream and Madonna, and drove away in a black Audi A6. On 2 May 2006 an Oslo court under Judge Arne Lyng sentenced Petter Tharaldsen to eight years, Bjorn Hoen to seven and Petter Rosenvinge to four. It ordered Tharaldsen and Hoen to pay the City of Oslo EUR 96 million (about 750 million kroner) for the paintings; reports say the city insured its own exhibits^†. Three other men were acquitted. Neither painting had been found. Police recovered both on 31 August 2006. The museum said they were in better shape than expected; Madonna had a hole of 2.5 cm, which could be repaired. In 2007 an appeal court raised Hoen's sentence to nine years^†. In 2008 Idemitsu Petroleum Norge gave 4 million kroner toward conservation. Both paintings belong to Oslo.