Munch art may need eye surgeon

The theft-damaged Edvard Munch masterpieces “The Scream” and “Madonna” may require treatment by an eye surgeon to remove tiny splinters of glass during their restoration, the Munch Museum director said Wednesday.

“That is one of the options under consideration,” Lise Mjoes said in an interview after testifying at a court hearing in Oslo. She said an eye surgeon had the skills and equipment for removing glass fragments without damaging the surrounding area.

The paintings were recovered by police on Aug. 31, about two years after they were stolen by masked gunmen in a brazen daylight heist at Oslo’s Munch Museum.

In her testimony Wednesday, Mjoes described the damage to the paintings as the result of the theft and two years of improper storage. She said the damage was the same as previously described by the museum: scrapes, holes, loose paint and moisture damage. She said because the frames and glass on both works had been broken during the theft, tiny glass fragments were embedded in the paintings.