Level 3. Advanced. The Scream sells for record price at auction. Warmer

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1 1 Warmer Name ten famous artists and the title of a painting by each of them. Write your answers in the picture frames.

2 2 Find the information Scan the article to find the information. 1. What is the name and nationality of the painter? 2. What is the title of the painting? 3. What price was it recently sold for? 4. Where was it sold? 3 Words to describe people a. Find words in the article used to describe people and write them next to the definitions below. 1. someone who offers a sum of money to buy an item at an auction 2. the job title of the person who is in charge of the sale at an auction 3. the main bad character in a play, film or book 4. someone who paints in a way that emphasizes emotions and reactions to things rather than objects as they really appear 5. someone who supports the work of writers, artists, musicians, etc. especially by giving them money b. For each of the words above, who is being specifically described? Informal words and expressions Find words and expressions in the article that are synonyms for the following. 1. normal people (para 1) 2. paying a lot of money for something (para 1) 3. films in which there is a lot of blood or violence (para 5) 4. a psychiatrist (para 7) 5. the cost of something very expensive (para 12) 6. something that costs less than you expect (para 12) 7. to get hold of something and make it your own (para 12)

3 The Scream sells for record $120m at auction Edvard Munch s painting bought by unnamed telephone bidder during auction at Sotheby s in New York Paul Harris 3 May, To mere mortals it hardly seemed like a bargain. But someone, somewhere, has decided that owning a rare version of Edvard Munch s 1895 painting, The Scream, was worth shelling out an eye-watering $119.9 million. 2 The price, one of the highest ever paid for a work of art, was reached after just 12 minutes of bidding and paid by a so-far anonymous telephone bidder. 3 As the auctioneer s gavel came down at Sotheby s in New York, the crowd in the room cheered the remarkable event. Bidding had started at a relatively modest $40 million with at least five interested parties but the field narrowed as the price skyrocketed. 4 One of only four versions of the work in existence and widely regarded as the best, the painting sold on Thursday night is one of a handful of artistic images that have crossed over from the world of high art to popular culture. 5 It has inspired film references, from the knife-wielding villain of the Scream slasher movies to a famous scene in Home Alone, where child star Macaulay Culkin imitated the painting s famous pose. 6 It is also celebrated by the therapy industry with its horrific depiction of stress and terror. 7 This is not a a beautiful landscape in Surrey or a harbour on the French Riviera. It is a representation of extreme anxiety. Imagine if a shrink in London had this on their wall. It s a fantastic painting for their profession. Of course, they could not afford it, said Mark Winter, director of Munch Experts, a company specializing in appraising and valuing works by the Norwegian expressionist. 8 This version is the only one whose frame was hand-painted by the artist to include his poem explaining the work s inspiration. Munch described himself shivering with anxiety and feeling the great scream in nature. 9 It was sold by Norwegian businessman Petter Olsen, whose father was a friend and patron of the artist. Proceeds of the sale will fund a new museum, art centre and hotel in Hvitsten, Norway, where Olsen s father and Munch were neighbours. 10 It is a unique chance for someone to acquire this version. It is the crown jewel of the four but you really need a national budget to buy it. And not the budget of a small country either, said Winter. 11 The Scream will join a select group of works that have sold for more than $100 million, including Picasso s Nude, Green Leaves, and Bust, which sold in 2010 for $106.5 million. 12 Yet even that hefty price tag feels like a snip compared with the staggering $250 million paid by oil-rich Qatar to snag Paul Cezanne s The Card Players for a new art museum. Details of the deal struck in 2011 only emerged in early Simon Shaw, head of Sotheby s Impressionist and Modern Art in New York, said the work was one of the most important to ever emerge from private hands on to the open market. 14 Instantly recognizable, this is one of the very few images that transcends art history and reaches a global icon. The Scream arguably embodies even greater power today than when it was conceived, he said. Guardian News and Media 2012 First published in The Guardian, 03/05/12

4 5 Comprehension check Are these statements true (T) or false (F) according to the article? Correct any that are false. 1. The highest sum ever paid for a single work of art is $119.9 million. 2. The buyer is from Qatar. 3. The money from the sale of the painting will pay for an art gallery, a museum and a private clinic. 4. Four other versions of this painting exist. 5. This version is special as it includes a poem written by the artist. 6. The picture is well known to many people, not only those in the art world. 6 Discussion Discuss the following questions in small groups. Is $119.9 million a justifiable amount of money for this work of art? Why are people willing to pay so much money for art? Would you want any of the paintings mentioned in the article hanging in your home? 7 Webquest Watch a video of the auction and then search the internet to find out what a buyer s premium is. The poem on the frame of this version of The Scream starts I was walking along the road with two friends How does it continue? Take a look at an interactive analysis of The Scream. Watch a slide show of the ten most expensive auctioned pieces of art. CAN CAN BE BE DOWNLOADED DOWNLOADED FROM WEBSITE

5 KEY 1 Warmer Teacher s note: Turn this into a competitive task by getting the students to work in groups, setting a time limit of five minutes and giving points for each correct answer. 2 Find the information 1. Edvard Munch, Norwegian 2. The Scream 3. $119.9 million 4. at Sotheby s auction house in New York 3 Words to describe people a. 1. bidder 2. auctioneer 3. villain 4. expressionist 5. patron b. 1. the anonymous person who bought the painting 2. the person working for Sotheby s, running the auction and accepting the bids 3. the killer in the Scream slasher movies 4. Edvard Munch 5. Petter Olsen s father Petter Olsen is the Norwegian businessman who sold the painting. 5 Comprehension check 1. F Someone paid $250 million for The Card Players by Cezanne. 2. F The buyer is anonymous. 3. F The money from the sale of the painting will pay for an art centre, a museum and a hotel. 4. F Three other versions of the painting exist. 5. T 6. T 7 Webquest Teacher s note: If you do not have internet access in class then these tasks can be set as homework. Different translations of the poem can be found on several websites. For example: Alternatively, you can use this translation: I was walking along the road with two friends. The sun set, and the sky turned blood red. I felt a touch of melancholy, and stopped and leaned against the railing, feeling extremely fatigued. Blood-red clouds and tongues of fire were floating above the city and the blue-black fjord. My friends kept on walking, but I stood still, trembling with anxiety. I felt as if I were hearing the immense, infinite cry of nature. 4 Informal words and expressions 1. mere mortals 2. shelling out (for something) 3. slasher movies 4. shrink 5. a (hefty) price tag 6. a snip 7. to snag something

Level 2. Intermediate. The Scream sells for record price at auction. Warmer

Level 2. Intermediate. The Scream sells for record price at auction. Warmer 1 Warmer Name ten famous artists and the title of a painting by each of them. Write your answers in the picture frames. 2 Find the information Scan the article to find the information. 1. What is the name