1 This is really sad. I wonder what the thieves hope to gain...to keep the pictures, well they can't benefit finacially from that, they won't be able to show family and friends unless they can guarantee their silence, and there has been no attempt made at ransoming them has there? Just some fool who has no better way of making a name for himself I guess.

2 This was a tragedy. My favorite Munch painting, the Madonna, was one of the two stolen. Its lines undulate along with her body, radiating dark colors contrast with bloodless skin. Unfortunately, there's often a large profit for those who steal paintings: there's a black market for anything, especially for art and antiques. The Isabella Stuart Gardener museum in Boston, by far the most beautiful museum I've ever seen (it's in her home, a gorgeous 19th century reproduction of an Italian villa) still has blank spaces with cards noting the too-numerous renaissance masterpieces that were stolen a few years ago.