The Actor
In what may turn out to be the most expensive fall in history, a klutzy art student visiting the Metropolitan Museum in New York fell into a Picasso. The unidentified woman managed to create a 15 cm gash in The Actor, a 6ft by 4ft painting from Picasso’s critical Rose Period. The Actor’s value has been estimated at over US$130 million, but the value may now be reduced by as much as half. The mystery is how the woman managed to fall into the painting, which was hanging on a wall, and create such damage. Maybe she was enjoying the priceless works of art so much that she started twirling pirouettes with careless abandon? Experts say that the damage is repairable, but it’s highly unlikely the painting will ever recover its original value. The next time I visit the Met I suspect that I won’t be looking at the amazing art through rose-coloured glasses, but through a thick pane of idiot-proof glass.
Does the woman have to pay a fine for costing the museum millions of dollars???
The Met has not issued any releases regarding a fine, but I think it’s safe to assume she’s banned for life!