Munch's 'The Scream' to be auctioned in NYC

LONDON, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- "The Scream," a famous 1895 painting by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch, is headed to the auction block, Sotheby's has announced.

Munch created several versions of the work using different techniques and the BBC said this is the only one owned by a private collector. It will be displayed in London for the first time before the auction in New York this May.

A Sotheby's representative told the BBC the painting is expected to sell for about $80 million.

"I have lived with this work all my life, and its power and energy have only increased with time," current owner, Norwegian businessman Petter Olsen -- whose father, Thomas, was a friend and patron of Munch -- told the BBC.

"Now, however, I feel the moment has come to offer the rest of the world a chance to own and appreciate this remarkable work, which is the only version of 'The Scream' not in the collection of a Norwegian museum."