
What does it feel like to fall into $130 million?
One clumsy art student just found out… Sort of.
While attending an art class at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, a woman lost her balance and fell into Pablo Picasso’s painting “The Actor” tearing a six-inch hole into the canvas of the $130 million work of art. The painting, which features an acrobat in a dramatic pose on a 6-by-4-foot canvas, was torn in the lower right-hand corner.
Appraiser Gerard van Weyenbergh was quoted in the Mail Online: "It's a 50 percent loss of the value - at least. "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 did not release the identity of the wobbly woman, but did say that she did not suffer any physical injuries from the fall—most likely just a bruised ego. However, all hope is not lost. Museum officials say the painting can and will be repaired for an exhibition of 250 works by Picasso scheduled for this spring.
No word on repairing the art student’s self esteem or chances of passing the art class.