TheActor

Don't Poke The Picasso

Filed under: Art

Another rare Picasso painting has been the victim of an unfortunate accident. The Actor, a tall six foot by four foot painting completed by Picasso during his Rose Period in 1905, has been at the New York' City's Metropolitan Museum of Art for years. It was damaged last week when a woman who was at the museum attending an adult education art class, lost her balance and fell against the painting. The $80 million piece received a 6-inch vertical tear. A press release from the Met says the painting was immediately taken to the museum's paintings conservation studio for evaluation and treatment. The good news is that the damage was in the lower right hand corner and can be restored. The restored painting will be part of an upcoming exhibit of 250 works of art by the painter at the Met set to run April 27 through August 1, 2010.

The unusually larger canvas originally had another painting on it. The painting was part of Picasso's shift from the more somber Blue period to the more cheerful Rose period which featured warmer colors and a more energetic style. The Actor was given to The Metropolitan Museum of Art by Chrysler heiress Thelma Chrysler Foy in 1952.

Casino mogul Stephen Wynn. who suffers from retinitis pigmentosa, an eye disease that has damaged his peripheral vision, put his elbow through his beloved painting, Picasso's 1932 'Le Reve' in 2006. At the time Wynn was reportedly ready to sell the work for $139 million even though he had at one point considered naming his hotel after it (instead the name went to a show at the resort). This work was also the victim of a six-inch tear, this one in a more obvious place, the left forearm of the figure. Wynn took the incident as a sign and did not sell the painting. After a $90,000 repair, the painting was evaluated to be worth $85 million.

Tags: blue period, BluePeriod, le reve, LeReve, metropolitan museum of art, MetropolitanMuseumOfArt, picasso, picassso accident, PicasssoAccident, rose period, RosePeriod, the actor, TheActor

TheActor

Don't Poke The Picasso

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