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After Tear, Picasso Value Halved
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jan 26, 2010
Modified Jan 26, 2010
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Jan 26, 2010
Modified Jan 26, 2010
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Following yesterday's news that a woman in an adult education class tore a 6-inch hole in a Picasso painting (whoops!), the NY Times has some details on what the consequences are for a clumsy catastrophe like that.
The painting, Picasso's 1904/05 work titled "The Actor," is currently being mended in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's conservation lab, where they are hopeful the repair will be “unobtrusive." They are reportedly keeping pretty mum and still deciding on the best effective treatment. In a statement, however, they said: "The painting will be displayed, as planned, in the forthcoming exhibition Picasso in The Metropolitan Museum of Art—among some 250 works by Picasso drawn from the Museum's collection—that will be on view from April 27 through August 1, 2010."
Meanwhile, one appraiser told the Post that the value of the painting is likely half of what it was prior to the accident—bringing it down to about $65 million. He said, "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."
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RIP
tear
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the met
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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