Risking Munch. The art of balancing accessibility and security in museums

Abstract

The art of expressionist painter Edvard Munch has been the target of numerous thefts in Norway. This article considers the history of risk management in two victimized museums, and the influence of past challenges on contemporary views regarding the role of security. Empirical research suggest that the institutions studied, by giving priority to accessibility and art mediation, combined with unawareness of risk and lack of funding, have compromised security and inadvertently made the art a suitable target for crime. Demonstrating a reactive rather than a proactive approach to risk management, victimization and public exposure of security oversights have led to gradual policy changes in the museums. While stricter security has deterred thefts, several respondents described the response as over-securitization, with counterproductive effects on staff and visitors. Findings reveal that the responsibility to ensure public access, stimulate art appreciation and safeguard collections represents a conflict of interest between professionals working in museums that continue to challenge the development of preventative measures.

Keywords:

• Art theft
• Edvard Munch
• security
• risk management
• museums

Acknowledgements

I wish to thank the Munch Museum and the National Museum for assistance during the data collection and the respondents for sharing their knowledge, without whom the present study could not have been completed. The paper has benefited greatly from feedback from two anonymous reviewers. I am also grateful for helpful comments from J. Gosling.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Munch created four versions of Scream between 1893 and 1910 in a variety of media, from crayon to pastel to tempera. Two separate versions of Scream have been stolen, both from museums in Oslo. The painting sold at Sotheby’s to an anonymous telephone bidder in 2012 is the only version that is privately owned.

2 While working closely together, a ‘curator’ and ‘conservator’ differ in their duties, responsibilities and respective education and training. For the purpose of this article, the respondents referred to as conservator hold the Norwegian title konservator, with duties that include the care, development, study, enhancement and management of the museum collection. Respondents referred to as curators, have a degree in art history and is selected based on their work with both permanent and temporary exhibitions and displays.

3 The following year, the painting was found in a garbage bag in the public Frogner Park.

4 All the prints were later recovered, found wrapped in brown paper in a basement in Oslo.

5 Information from the Munch Museum archive.

6 Information from the exhibition EXIT! at the Munch Museum, 11.5.19 — 8.9.19 by curator Elisabeth Byre.

7 Information derived from the Munch Museum archive.

8 Supreme Court verdict Rt-1989-394 (118-89), p. 395.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Norwegian Research Council under Grant [238170] and the Norwegian Police University College.