Sean Flynn

Munch is a Norwegian icon and one of the most influential artists of the 19th and 20th centuries. If the name is unfamiliar, that's probably because it's pronounced Munch, but spelled like Munch. You definitely recognize his most iconic work, The Scream, even if you only saw it on a coffee mug or in an internet meme.

That was the beginning, how it started. A young man, heartbroken and adrift, play-acting as a French TV thief. But it worked. Easter 1974. The widow was away. Martin snuck up to her house in the dark.

That was the beginning, how it started. A young man, heartbroken and adrift, play-acting as a French TV thief. But it worked. Easter 1974. The widow was away. Martin snuck up to her house in the dark.

He left through the front door, which he realized could only be locked from the inside.

He left through the front door, which he realized could only be locked from the inside.

A masterpiece. In this little fantasy, Martin imagined himself to be an elegant thief, a sophisticate. And now the reviews were in. The police were convinced. A debonair bandit clearly was afoot. In Martin's real life, his wife gave birth to their first son later that spring. He was studying to be a teacher. The responsibility, the routine, already were suffocating.

A masterpiece. In this little fantasy, Martin imagined himself to be an elegant thief, a sophisticate. And now the reviews were in. The police were convinced. A debonair bandit clearly was afoot. In Martin's real life, his wife gave birth to their first son later that spring. He was studying to be a teacher. The responsibility, the routine, already were suffocating.

Wait, hold up here. Yeah. So you went into an empty house or a house where nobody was home.

Wait, hold up here. Yeah. So you went into an empty house or a house where nobody was home.

And took five lithographs. Yeah. And then you have a new baby.

And took five lithographs. Yeah. And then you have a new baby.

And you think you would like a nice house, so let's rob a bank.

And you think you would like a nice house, so let's rob a bank.

There's a lot of ways to get a nice house that don't involve robbing a bank. Yeah.

There's a lot of ways to get a nice house that don't involve robbing a bank. Yeah.

This was not a reckless impulse, a spur-of-the-moment cash grab. Martin prepared. First, he got a gun. He disguised himself as a military officer and drove to a barracks.

This was not a reckless impulse, a spur-of-the-moment cash grab. Martin prepared. First, he got a gun. He disguised himself as a military officer and drove to a barracks.

Then he studied, researched, scouted. He chose a small bank in a nearby village called Sem. Only four, maybe five people working, cash in wooden drawers behind the counter, and a stairway leading down to the vault. No cameras. This was 1974 in a small Norwegian town. But remember, the point was to steal a lot of money.

Then he studied, researched, scouted. He chose a small bank in a nearby village called Sem. Only four, maybe five people working, cash in wooden drawers behind the counter, and a stairway leading down to the vault. No cameras. This was 1974 in a small Norwegian town. But remember, the point was to steal a lot of money.

The day of the robbery, he took a train to a different town about 15 miles south of Semm.