The Norwegian businessman who sold the 1895 pastel version of “The Scream” in 2012 was Petter Olsen.
Olsen inherited the pastel from his father, Norwegian shipowner and art collector Thomas Olsen, who had been a friend, neighbor, and patron of Edvard Munch. The work was one of four principal versions Munch created: two paintings and two pastels.
At Sotheby’s in New York on 2 May 2012, the pastel sold for US$119,922,500 including the buyer’s premium. The winning bidder was American financier Leon Black, who acquired it for his private collection. The sale briefly set an auction record for any artwork.
A common mix-up is Fred. Olsen, the Norwegian shipping magnate and founder of Fred. Olsen & Co. He was a different member of the Olsen family and was not the seller of this version. The 1895 pastel is also distinctive because Munch wrote a poem about the scene on its frame.