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Edvard Munch's expressionist masterpieces "The Scream" and "Madonna", recovered a month ago after a dramatic 2004 robbery, will go on public show in Oslo for a few days this week before undergoing repairs, the Munch Museum said on Tuesday.
The paintings are to be displayed at the museum from Wednesday through Sunday, and the media in Oslo was given a sneak preview on Tuesday.
"We wanted to show them to the press after their long absence ... due to the very big interest for the paintings, both in Norway and internationally," Munch Museum spokeswoman Jorun Christoffersen told AFP.
"We expect a large number of visitors these days. A lot of people are interested in this," she said.
The paintings are displayed lying down in acclimatized showcases without their frames as they "are not in a condition to hang on the walls," Christoffersen said.
The special showcases were needed to protect the canvases, which were damaged during their absence.
The bottom left corner of "The Scream" was crumpled as if it had received a blow, while "Madonna" had one scratch and one tear that pierced the canvas.
"They are very fragile ... and they've not been kept under very good conditions," she said.
"The Scream" and "Madonna" were stolen on August 22, 2004 from the Munch Museum in broad daylight, in a daring raid by two masked and armed robbers who burst into the museum and tore the artworks from the walls.
The two thieves who made off with the paintings have never been convicted, but three of their accomplices were sentenced earlier this year to prison sentences of four to eight years.
Police recovered the paintings on August 31 in circumstances that remain shrouded in mystery, and the whereabouts of the artworks during the two years is not known.
Munch Museum chief curator Ingebjorg Ydstie has said the conservation process could take up to one year, after which they will be hung in the museum again.
The paintings are estimated to be worth a total of 100 million dollars (83 million euros).
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AFPEntertainment-Norway-art-crime-Munch
AFP 261819 GMT 09 06
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