MANHATTAN — In a total of 12 minutes, Edvard Munch's masterpiece "The Scream" sold for a record $119.9 million at Sotheby's auction house on the Upper East Side Wednesday night.
Sotheby's announced the sale price on Twitter, claiming it was the highest amount paid for any piece of art at an auction, according to the New York Post. The painting was expected to bring in more than $80 million — still the highest pre-sale price Sotheby's has every set, according to the Wall Street Journal.
This version of "The Scream" is the last of four to be under private ownership, according to the auction house. It is the only one still bordered by its original frame, which Munch painted himself.
The piece was sold by private collector Petter Olsen, whose father was a friend of the artist. Two other versions of the work are at the Munch Museum in Oslo and one is in the National Gallery of Norway.
