The Scream installed at the British Museum

Curators have installed Edvard Munch’s world-famous image The Scream at the British Museum.

The lithograph is one of the highlights in an exhibition of prints by the Norwegian artist, opening in April.

While today it is the colourful, painted version that most people know, it was the black and white print that shot Munch to fame during his lifetime.

Exhibition curator Giulia Bartrum said: “It represents that mood, that moment of anxiety. It seems particularly apposite now, with the situation we are in politically at the moment, and with mental illness.”

Many people believe the image shows the artist, who died in 1944, screaming.

But Bartrum said: “It is not Munch screaming, it’s Munch hearing the scream of nature resonating around him. It’s almost like a tuning fork. When you look at it, you can almost hear a sound.”

The exhibition centres on Munch’s prints, the art form that made his name, and his ability to depict raw human emotion.

It will be the largest exhibition of his prints in the UK for 45 years.

Edvard Munch: Love And Angst, Supported by AKO Foundation, runs from April 11 to July 21 at the British Museum.