Edvard Munch's The Scream is one of the most recognisable images in art history: a figure with its hands to its face, a blood-red sky, a dark fjord and a bridge running out of the frame. It has been copied, parodied and turned into memes for decades. On a skateboard deck it becomes something different again: a long, narrow object you can hang on a wall and see from across the room. This guide covers the real story of the painting, why the composition suits a deck, how to style it at home, and how to hang it properly.
At DeckArts, every deck is printed by hand in Berlin on 7-ply Canadian maple pressed in Butzbach, Germany, and ships from Berlin. Our Munch The Scream Skateboard Wall Art is the deck shown in the photos below.
The Story Behind The Scream
Edvard Munch (1863–1944) was a Norwegian painter and printmaker. He painted the first version of The Scream in 1893, in tempera and crayon on cardboard. The Norwegian title is Skrik. Munch originally thought of the image as part of a larger group of works about love, anxiety and death that he later called The Frieze of Life.
The image grew out of a personal experience that Munch wrote about in his notes. He described walking along a road at sunset with two friends when the sky suddenly turned blood red, and he stopped, exhausted, and felt what he called an infinite scream passing through nature. That detail matters: the figure in the painting is not necessarily screaming. It is reacting to a scream it hears in the landscape around it. The two figures walking away in the background are usually read as the friends from his note.
How many versions are there?
Munch returned to the motif several times. There are four colour versions:
- The 1893 painting (tempera and crayon on cardboard), the earliest and most famous version, held by the National Museum of Norway (Nasjonalmuseet) in Oslo.
- An 1893 crayon/pastel version, held by MUNCH, the Munch Museum in Oslo.
- An 1895 pastel, the only colour version in private hands. It sold at auction in 2012 for $119.9 million.
- A painted version usually dated to 1910 (tempera and oil on cardboard), also at MUNCH in Oslo.
In 1895 Munch also made a black-and-white lithograph of the image, which let the motif circulate widely as a print. Some of these lithographs were later coloured by hand. So the idea of The Scream as a reproducible image, not only a single painting, goes back to Munch himself.
The pencil inscription
On the 1893 painting there is a small, faint pencil inscription in the upper left corner reading, in Norwegian, “Can only have been painted by a madman.” For years people debated whether an angry visitor wrote it. In 2021 the National Museum of Norway announced that infrared imaging and handwriting comparison showed the words were written by Munch himself. Curators link it to the hostile reaction when the painting was first shown in Kristiania (now Oslo) in 1895, when his mental state was publicly questioned.
Two famous thefts
The painting's fame also made it a target. The National Gallery's 1893 version was stolen in 1994 and recovered the same year. In 2004 the 1910 painting was stolen from the Munch Museum together with Madonna; both were recovered in 2006.
Why The Scream Became an Icon
The Scream is often described as a key work of early Expressionism. Instead of painting what a place looked like, Munch painted how it felt. The landscape bends in long swirling lines, the colours are pushed far beyond nature, and the face is reduced to a skull-like oval. Later Expressionist painters in Germany and elsewhere took that approach further: emotion first, accuracy second.
That simplicity is also why it travelled so well into popular culture. The figure is readable at any size, from a museum wall to a phone screen. It has been referenced in films, cartoons, advertising and the emoji most people know as the “face screaming in fear”. When something feels overwhelming, the image is a shortcut almost everyone understands.
If you are interested in how other modern painters translate onto decks, our guide to Matisse, Munch and Kandinsky on skateboard decks goes deeper into the modern art side of the catalogue.
Why The Scream Works on a Skateboard Deck
Most famous paintings were not made with a skateboard in mind, and some compositions lose a lot when they are cropped into a narrow shape. The Scream is an easier fit than most, for a few reasons:
- The composition is vertical. The original is taller than it is wide, and the figure, the bridge railing and the sky all stack top to bottom. A deck is a long vertical format, so the main elements stay intact.
- The figure is in the lower part of the picture. That leaves the red and orange sky to fill the top of the deck, which gives the piece a strong silhouette on the wall.
- The colours are bold. Red, orange, deep blue and dark green read clearly from a distance, so the deck still works when you see it from the other side of the room.
- The lines follow the shape. The diagonal of the bridge and the curves of the sky echo the curved nose and tail of a deck.
Our deck measures 85 x 20 cm (33.5 x 7.9 in). The wood is 7-ply Canadian maple, pressed in Butzbach, Germany, and the print is done by hand in Berlin.
Styling Ideas: Where The Scream Looks Best
A common question is whether such an anxious image is too heavy for a home. In practice most people hang it because it is a conversation piece, and it often reads as ironic or playful rather than gloomy. A few ideas that work well:
Home office or study
Hung beside a desk or bookshelf, The Scream becomes a self-aware joke about deadlines and inboxes. Keep the wall around it fairly calm so the red sky stays the focal point.
Living room, as a single statement
On a plain white, grey or dark painted wall, one deck hung vertically is enough. Because the deck is narrow, it fits spaces where a large canvas would not: next to a door frame, between two windows or at the end of a sofa.
Hallway or entrance
Narrow walls in hallways suit the long format of a deck. It is the kind of image people recognise instantly as they walk past.
Bedroom or teen room
For teenagers and skaters, a famous painting on a real deck shape is an easy way to mix art and skate culture. Hung above a desk or a bed, it works on its own or as part of a small gallery wall.
Colours that suit it
The deck has warm reds and oranges against cool blues and greens. Dark walls (navy, charcoal, forest green) make the sky glow; white or concrete walls make the whole silhouette sharper. Natural wood furniture picks up the maple tone of the deck.
Pairing The Scream With Other Decks
If you want more than one deck on the wall, look for works with the same intensity or from the same period. Some combinations from our catalogue:
- Van Gogh Bandaged Ear Skateboard Wall Art: Van Gogh and Munch were working in the same years, and both used colour to express emotion.
- Klimt Judith I Skateboard Wall Art: Vienna around 1900 next to Kristiania in the 1890s, gold against red.
- Kandinsky Upward Abstract Skateboard Wall Art: a step from Expressionism into abstraction.
If you love the motif itself, there are two alternative takes on the theme in the shop: Scream in Red Pop Art Horror Skateboard Wall Art for a louder pop-art version, and Dark Scream Face Canadian Maple Deck for a darker, moodier look. Hung side by side with the original, they make a playful series on one idea.
For more background on the artists whose work ends up on decks, see famous artists behind iconic skateboard designs. And if you like Nordic art in interiors more broadly, our guide to Scandinavian art for home decor includes Munch alongside other ideas.
Deck, Canvas or Poster?
The Scream is available in almost every format, so it is worth thinking about what you actually want on the wall:
- Poster: the cheapest option, but it needs a frame, and paper looks flat.
- Canvas print: larger and more traditional, but it needs more wall space and looks like many other prints.
- Skateboard deck: a real wooden object with a curved shape and visible edge. It takes up little width, works on narrow walls, and doesn't need glass or a frame. It also connects a classic painting with skate culture, which is exactly why people choose it.
How to Hang The Scream Deck
Please note: the deck has nothing on the back. It is not ready to hang out of the box, and there are no hooks, wires or holes. You need a wall mount, which is sold separately. One mount per deck is all you need.
- Our clear acrylic horizontal wall mount holds a deck flat across the wall.
- The 360° rotating wall mount lets you hang the deck vertically, horizontally or at an angle.
Since The Scream is a vertical composition, most people hang it vertically so the sky is at the top and the figure at the bottom. For step-by-step instructions, see our guide on how to hang a skateboard deck safely, and for help deciding on orientation, read horizontal vs vertical skateboard hanging.
A few practical tips:
- Hang the centre of the deck at roughly eye level, around 145–155 cm from the floor, unless it is above furniture.
- Above a sofa or desk, leave a gap of about 20–30 cm between the furniture and the bottom of the deck.
- Avoid hanging it where strong direct sunlight hits it for hours every day; like any printed artwork, it keeps its colours best in indirect light.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the original Scream?
The best-known 1893 painting is at the National Museum of Norway in Oslo. MUNCH, the Munch Museum in Oslo, holds the 1893 crayon version and the 1910 painting, as well as lithographs. The 1895 pastel is privately owned.
Is the person in The Scream screaming?
Not necessarily. Munch's own notes describe hearing a scream passing through nature. The figure is usually read as reacting to that scream, covering its ears.
Is The Scream deck a real skateboard?
It is a real 7-ply Canadian maple deck, pressed in Butzbach, Germany, and printed by hand in Berlin. It is made to be displayed on a wall as art.
How big is the deck?
85 x 20 cm (33.5 x 7.9 in).
Does the deck come ready to hang?
No. There is nothing on the back of the deck. You need one wall mount per deck, sold separately.
Can I hang it horizontally?
You can, but the composition is vertical, so most people prefer to hang it vertically. The 360° rotating mount lets you try both.
Where does it ship from?
All DeckArts decks ship from Berlin.
Are there other Scream designs?
Yes. Besides the classic version, there is Scream in Red in a pop-art style and the darker Dark Scream Face deck.
About the Author
Stanislav Arnautov is the founder of DeckArts and a creative director originally from Ukraine, now based in Berlin. With over a decade of experience in branding, merchandise design, and vector graphics, Stanislav has collaborated with Ukrainian streetwear brands and organized art events for Red Bull Ukraine. His work has been featured in Berlin’s creative community and Ukrainian design publications.
“Living in Berlin for the past 4 years has changed how I see expressionism.”
“Back in my Red Bull Ukraine days I curated maybe fifteen art events, and the pieces that always sparked conversation weren’t the pretty ones. They were the ones that made people stop. The Scream stops people. Every time.”
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