After Tear, Picasso Value Halved

The MET should really rethink their drinking in the gallery's clause.

I was always under the impression that valuable paintings like these were hung in cases or at least behind a rope or something. This was bound to happen.

I was at the Met there on Sunday and the security guards were going crazy telling untold numbers of people not to take photos of the paintings. (Presumably the flash can damage the paintings.) And why did it appear that most of the offenders were Chinese citizens? First there was that deliberate security breach at Newark Airport by a Chinese national, now they ignore the security guards at the Met. As students etc., many of these people are recipients of the hospitality of this country, yet they proverbially thumb their collective noses at our rules and laws. It's highly unlikely they would try this crap in China. What's up with them anyway?

The best location for paintings is in a darkened room. Although the camera flash is very short. Hundreds of flashes a day can lead to serious damage over several years.

uhm, take off those goggles. you're seeing things crookedly. they may have been made in china, even.

If you think that's a defense, it's a very weak one.

hmm... some people seem to have dis-inclinations towards weakness/weak people.

*shrug*

No, people who are ignorant and/or disrespectful to others don't deserve a free pass--no matter where they're from.

And why would you say "some people have dis-inclinations towards weakness/weak people." This implies that you think Chinese nationals are weak. That's some real nice stereotyping on your part.

"people who are ignorant and/or disrespectful to others don't deserve a free pass--no matter where they're from."

"This implies that you think Chinese nationals are weak. That's some real nice stereotyping on your part."

i'm not chinese, but i happen to be weak. so don't pick on me, bro.

Some possibly useful advice for you: if you don't want to be treated like a victim, don't set yourself up as one. :-)

uhm, weak people are not necessarily all victims...

it says "the meek shall inherit the earth" someplace, somewhere. not that i really care.

I still say that photographs of the clumsy oaf should be released to all other museums so that they can keep an eye out for her and ban her at the door.

I expect that if her name is revealed she'll next be seen crying on Oprah and complaining how her life has become a nightmare after this incident, what with her not been allowed into any Williams Sonoma or Bed Bath and Beyond stores.

motherfucker...

So I assume you get an F in your adult education class for something like this? That woman's going to summer school.

If the class is art appreciation, yeah, instant F. If it's art history, it's an A - because you're now part of the curriculum.

What's all the fuss about. Call Picasso and have him do another. That painting can't take more than a day or two so no big loss. But the freight bill, now that could be a problem.

picasso rudely stopped taking calls...when he died in 1973.

His voicemail account's been full since 2002, about the same time as Thomas Krens's drunk dialing binge.

i don't believe the value has dropped at all. even if the rip wasn't repairable, which it is, it's still a one-of-a-kind Picasso. it's a very important work in his repertoire, the value of a painting such as this does not actually depend on the condition, as long as it's not torn to shreds. i think this is a ploy to drop the insurance rate on it more than anything else.

It's a Rose period Picasso. While his early work is popular with the public, it's not as highly esteemed among art historians and critics. I'm surprised the value is so high.

I think Picasso is really overvalued on the market.

But really, none of this really matters as hopefully if the Met has it, it will not be going into someone's private collection anytime soon.

In the end though shit happens. It's better then what happened to a priceless Fatamid rock crystal ewer. An employee dropped it when it was out for photographs and it shattered. There are 8 left in the world.

That's incorrect - appraisals include an inspection of the work in question.

OH NO....it will have to stay in a MUSEUM instead of somebody's mantle? Man, maybe we should slash all the nice paintings.

Hire Banksy to paint some retarded design around the hole and its value will skyrocket in the douchebag community.

or just hire you to comment on stories about it.

The painting was finished in 1905, not 1952. 1952 was when the Met acquired it.

So says wikipedia, anyway.

So says the linked NYTimes article also.

Isn't it possible though that the fame/ recognition/ infamy that's now being given to this painting will raise its value even more? It'll forever be known as the Picasso that someone fell onto at the Met. I think it'd be an awesome/ hilarious addition to any collection.

People who spend $60-$120 Million on an object typically don't have a sense of humour. Hence, they spend $60-$120 Million on an object so that people can find them interesting.

Time to make a 50% excise tax on pretentious art to fix the national debt.

Ditto. Try explaining that Daniel to Steve Wynn. He just happens to be a klutz who fell on his own painting.

So, will that dimwit who ripped it be paying by cash or check?

According to one of the links, the woman was a "special needs" individual who was either sitting on the floor or leaning on the wall shortly before she fell into the painting. It's not entirely clear how she actually managed to knock into and tear the painting, but in her case there seems to be extenuating circumstances.

Since this woman was part an adult education class, presumably the group leader would have had the major responsibility of making sure the group was behaving itself appropriately in the museum.

She's an anarchist.

The trial lawyers will smell blood in the water

What are they going to do, sue the woman for damages? No way. Then nobody would go to the museum because if you stumbled and fell into a piece of art you'd be bankrupted for life.

Or you could just keep a safe distance. Five feet or so would still let you get a good look at it but keep it quite safe. It's not like anyone desperately needs to inspect the brush strokes.

Was that Gawker tip yesterday for real? I can't imagine why anyone would sit on the floor or lean on a wall in a museum.

Nah, you have to expect this will happen every once in a while, though usually the damage is minor (dent, ding, sneeze).