Unknown Munch is found in museum

The painting depicts a young girl surrounded by four male heads

Experts in Norway believe a painting found in Germany is a hitherto unknown work by Norwegian master Edvard Munch.

The painting, which has been dubbed The Girl and the Four Male Heads, was found in Bremen and taken to the Munch Museum in Oslo for evaluation.

There officials concluded that it was probably painted between 1898 and 1899.

The painting differs from Munch's style at the time. But a spokesman said it was "a period of Munch's work of which we have very little precise knowledge".

"I think many Munch researchers will be preoccupied by this painting in many different ways in future," said museum official Gerd Wold.

Surreal

The painting shows a surrealistic image of a young woman seated on a chair with the faces of four men arranged around her.

It was found when the gallery in Germany removed another known Munch painting from its frame and found the new work underneath.

The painting is currently on display at the Munch Museum, where two of his masterpieces were stolen in August 2004.

The paintings - The Scream and Madonna, part of his Frieze of Life series - are still missing.