A woman taking an art class at The Met accidentally damaged a rare painting by Pablo Picasso during an accidential fall. The work, entitled “The Actor,” was left ripped after an art student lost her balance and tumbled into the canvas last week, officials at Manhattan’s Metropolitan Museum of Art said Sunday.
Painted in the winter of 1904-1905, “The Actor” features an acrobat striking a dramatic pose against an abstract backdrop. The work hails from Picasso’s Rose Period — when the artist shifted from the downbeat tones of his Blue Period to warmer, more romantic hues.
The painting was donated to The Met by automobile heiress Thelma Chrysler Foy in 1952. It hung in a second-floor gallery without incident until Friday. “The Actor” is expected to be repaired in time to go on display in an exhibit of some 250 Picasso works set to open April 27.