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Possible Edvard Munch Painting Awaits Confirmation At St. Olaf College

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- St. Olaf College awaits scientific evidence to determine whether a decades-old campus painting was created by famous Norwegian painter Edvard Munch.

Gifted to St. Olaf nearly 20 years ago by alumnus Richard Tetlie, the portrait will undergo x-ray testing and a molecular analysis. Samples from experts at the Scientific Analysis of Fine Arts will be collected Monday, October 1.

The painting of violinist Eva Mudocci is part of a donated collection of over 2,000 pieces in 1999.

Since then, Eva has been hanging above St. Olaf President David R. Anderson's dining room table with little significance until -- potentially-- now.

Thanks to Mudocci scholar Rima Shore, more is known about the painting's history. After gaining access to St. Olaf's Flaten Art Museum and studying international files of auctions and ownership of Eva, the gaps are quickly filling.

Image result for edvard munch the scream

If the artwork is a Munch original, Ole students and community members might share a reaction with Munch's most famous character in The Scream.

A technical art seminar and Eva screening will be held Tuesday, October 2 at 4 p.m. at the campus Viking Theater. It is open to the public and online audiences.

Analysis results are expected to be released later this year.

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