Munch's Blue Dress Checks out of Hotel

Blue Dress caught in revolving door art heist

OSLO, Norway (Again!) ~ Three Munch artworks, watercolor "Blaa Kjole," (Blue Dress) and two lithographs were stolen from Hotel Refsnes Gods 37 miles south of Oslo and later recovered.

A hotel employee interrupted two men prying artworks from the wall of a closed restaurant. "I thought at first one of the men was wearing a blue dress and I was going to tell them this is a respectable establishment" he added.

Reminiscent of the 22 Aug'05 armed robbery at Oslo's Munch Museum, one of the two thieves dropped a picture, shattering the glass in its frame. He then picked it up and continued to flee toward a car parked near the bar, said Jan Pedalsen, the chief of police investigations in Moss.

The thieves seemed particularly agitated as they apparently told the car to wait outside, Pedalsen added. "I also can't understand why they dropped the Blue Dress watercolor as it lacks the historical weight of Munch's earlier works."

"Blue Dress is a beautiful watercolor but not very significant," said Knut Fivesberg, who sold many of Munch's works before the artist died in 1944. "This is not a national crisis like the theft of The Scream, but we're all afraid it may catch on. We have only a small population, and if angst catches on .. well, we can't afford to all be standing around on bridges howling under a blood-red sunset rendering modern angst that helped define early Expressionism" Fivesberg continued to puzzled reporters.

There was an alarm system, but it wasn't turned on since the hotel had not yet closed for the night" said the hotel's owner, Wider Smallbuic, ".. although, oh .. that's right, the restaurant was closed .. I, um - well! If it was good enough for the Munch Museum to skimp on security .." Smallbuic beamed defensively.

The Refnes Gods hotel, which is located on the Jeloeya island outside Moss, has more than 400 artworks on display. It was fully booked when the robbery took place and nearly 36 guests claimed refunds after being told the art was stolen. "It's disgraceful" said one. "We came to steal the Munch gear and these clowns got there first. I mean, they shouldn't double-book thieves." Another disgruntled guest added "They (management) said there were plenty of Munch, and they let them all go to one party."

Police discounted a theory that the Blue Dress concocted the theft story, having talked the lithographs into a rendezvous with the missing Scream in a Hotel 30 miles further south of Oslo, the same hotel where another Scream was recovered (alone!) from a 1994 theft.

"Nine people have been arrested, and the art has been recovered," said Trond Proudleduck, the Norwegian police operations chief.

A car chase ended when police smashed into a vehicle in which the suspects were fleeing. "Much screaming took place and at first we thought the Scream thieves were somehow involved" Trond said. "It transpired that an arresting officer caught their Blue Dress in the car door."

The artworks were found in Oslo's Kampen neighborhood less than a mile from the Munch Museum. "We found the paintings thanks to good intelligence work," police inspector Iver Tenner said (sans the faintest oxymoronic hint in his voice).

But Tenner said it was too early to say if the thefts were linked, discounting suggestions that the Munch Museum officials had stolen the three works from Refnes Gods to make up for anguish over the lost 'Madonna' and 'The Scream.'

The Munch Museum meanwhile will remain closed until this summer pending the installation of a new security system. "These things take time" a spokesman bluffed, but this SheepOverboard sleuth knows their game -- while ever they keep the doors closed the paintings are much safer!

PS: Don't miss the Munch Montage of Mischief.