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Edvard Munch's 'The Scream' Going On View At MoMA

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The Museum of Modern Art is presenting a special six-month exhibition of Edvard Munch's "The Scream."

The painting sold for nearly $120 million earlier this year, making it the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction. It was purchased by an anonymous private collector at Sotheby's in May.

The iconic image of a man holding his head screaming under a streaked, blood-red sky has become a modern symbol of human anxiety.

Munch created four versions of "The Scream'' between 1893 and 1910. This is the only one in private hands; the others are in Norwegian museums.

The pastel-on-board version of "The Scream" is the most colorful and vibrant of the four and the only version whose frame was hand-painted by the artist to include his poem, detailing the work's inspiration.

In the poem, Munch described himself "shivering with anxiety" and said he felt "the great scream in nature."

The work will be installed in the museum's Painting and Sculpture Galleries. The exhibition, which will include a small group of works of the same period, opens Wednesday and will run through April 29.

(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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