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February 12
The Scream became an iconic work of art, famous across the world
1994: Art thieves snatch Scream
England have
Thieves have stolen one of the world"s best-known paintings from a gallery
in the Norwegian capital, Oslo.
Two men took just 50 seconds to climb a ladder, smash through a window of
the National Art Museum in Oslo and cut The Scream, by Edvard Munch, from the
wall with wire cutters.
The cutters were left behind along with a short ladder as the men fled with
the painting. The entire incident was filmed by security cameras.
The director of the museum, Knut Berg, said, "It is impossible to estimate
the value of the painting.
"But it is Norway"s most valuable, Munch"s most renowned, and it would be
impossible to sell."
The museum"s alarm went off at 0630 local time (0530 GMT) and a security
guard immediately alerted police, who arrived within minutes.
Police officers are searching for a Mercedes car thought to have been used
as a getaway vehicle.
The painting was in the gallery as the highlight of a Norwegian Culture
Festival staged in connection with the Winter Olympics which start today in
Lillehammer.
There is widespread speculation that the theft may have some connection
with the Games, possibly as a publicity stunt by campaigners. Art experts
believe the painting is so well-known that it is unsaleable.
The museum is facing strong criticism over its security after it was
revealed that the masterpiece had been moved from the more secure first floor to
the ground floor for the exhibition. It is believed to have been uninsured.
The stolen painting is regarded as the most important of the four versions
Edvard Munch painted of The Scream, and was created in 1893 as part of his
Frieze of Life series in which sickness, death, anxiety and love are central
themes.
The haunting depiction of a skull-like face wide-mouthed in agony and
despair before a blood-red sunset has become an icon of human anguish across the
world.
Several other Munch paintings have recently been stolen: six years ago,
another well-known masterpiece, The Vampire, was stolen from the Munch Museum in
Oslo, but was later recovered, as was a lithograph , Madonna, which disappeared
in 1990.
Another painting, Portrait Study, was taken from the National Art Museum
last August and is still missing.
Dr Arpad Pusztai"s experiments suggested GM foods damage the immune
system
1999: Scientists highlight hazards of GM food
Artificially 1969:
The A group of international scientists has reinforced warnings genetically
modified food may be damaging to health.
The 20 independent scientists have signed a memorandum in support of Arpad
Pusztai who was forced to retire last year over his revelations about the
effects of biologically altered potatoes on laboratory rats.
An expert on plant toxins, Dr Pusztai was suspended by the Rowett Research
Institute in Aberdeen and did not have his annual contract renewed after he
publicised his findings on British television.
Former president of the British Society of Allergy and Environmental
Medicine Ronald Finn said: "Dr Pusztai"s results at the very least raise the
suspicion that genetically modified potatoes may damage the immune system."
He continued: "You can imagine a doomsday scenario. If the immune system of
the population was weakened, then the mortality would be increased many, many
times."
Dr Pustzai, 68, found the internal organs and immune systems of rats was
altered by the presence of an additional gene - responsible for the production
of the plant toxin lectin - in the potatoes.
A researcher at the department of pathology at Aberdeen University, Stanley
Ewen, has just released details of his own experiments indicating rats fed on GM
- or transgenic - potatoes absorbed lectin into their intestines.
Mr Ewen explained: "It may be that in GM food a drug-delivery system has
been created, delivering something you didn"t want to."
The director of the Rowett Institute, Philip James, has defended his
decision to suspend Dr Pusztai saying he had become "muddled" over key aspects
of the potato experiments.
He denied he had come under political pressure to dismiss the controversial
scientist.
Prime Minister Tony Blair has rejected calls for a moratorium on GM food
saying there is a rigorous regulatory process before they reach supermarket
shelves in the UK.
Vocabulary:
lithograph : a print produced by lithography(平板画，平板印刷) |
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发表于 2016-7-9 23:20:22