Tuesday, January 26, 2010

ooops, my bad....

From the NYT : " On Friday afternoon a woman taking an adult education class at the Metropolitan Museum of Art accidentally lost her balance and fell into “The Actor,” a rare Rose Period Picasso, tearing the canvas about six inches along its lower right-hand corner." ( more...)
Today we learn that her little attack of the vapors was a SIXTY FIVE MILLION DOLLAR ooops! From the NYP: " Conservators said they will be able to fix the 6-inch tear in "The Actor" (above), but appraiser Gerard van Weyenbergh said the painting may never recover its value. "It's a 50 percent loss of the value -- at least," van Weyenbergh, who has handled numerous Picassos, told The Post. "When an artwork comes up in auction, that's the first thing people want to know -- were there any repaints or restorations. "Even a small hole and Picasso collectors like [Steven] Spielberg are not going to be interested." Museum officials would not identify the woman who fell into the painting, but they said conservators will have it ready for the museum's Picasso exhibition later this year."
Was worth 130 million, now 65.... you think they could have gone for the 20 dollar piece of glass.
Read more here, I think this is just so interesting...

1 comment:

b said...

Oh, my. That could have been me who fell into the painting. I'm such a klutz.

I am glad they owned the painting instead of it being on loan.

We were talking about this yesterday at the High. They are having a cool exhibit of cars in March -- how do you keep people from touching them. In reality, the curator said, things do get touched.