Scream sells for £74million

Edvard Munch's famous work breaks record...

09:11 03 May 2012

Edvard Munch's famous work, The Scream, has been bought for £74million, making it the most expensive art work to ever be sold at auction.

The 1895 work was bought by an anonymous bidder at Sotheby's in New York on 2 May.

The previous record was held by Picasso's Nude, Green Leaves and Bust, which sold for $106.5m back in 2010.

Seven bidders were competing in total, with the auction beginning at $40million.

It is one of four in a series by the Norwegian expressionist and was the only one still to be privately owned.

It is also the only version to include a poem by Munch on the frame, which describes the inspiration behind the art.

The poem reads:

"I was walking along a path with two friends - the sun was setting - suddenly the sky turned blood red - I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned on the fence - there was blood and tongues of fire above the blue-black fjord and the city.

"My friends walked on, and I stood there trembling with anxiety - and I sensed an infinite scream passing through nature."

Proceeds from the sale are to go towards funding a new museum, art centre and hotel in Norway.