Twice IN 10 years, Pablo Picasso's celebrated 1932 painting of his sleeping mistress, Marie-Therese Walter, made international headlines. Alas, the artist's breathtaking painterly skill and candid insight into human nature were not the cause.
First, on a chilly November night in Manhattan, "Le Reve" -- "The Dream" -- became the most expensive work at a glamorous 1997 auction, which broke all records for a single-owner sale. Then, early on a hot Las Vegas evening in September 2006, a new owner poked a hole in the picture with an errant elbow, while showing the prize to unexpectedly shocked friends.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Wednesday, October 15, 2008 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 2 inches; 60 words Type of Material: Correction
Picasso credit: An article in Sunday's Arts & Books section about Pablo Picasso's "Le Reve" returning to public view after it had been damaged included a photograph that was incorrectly credited. The image was not from Bloomberg News. The credit should have read: Copyright 2008 Estate of Pablo Picasso/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of Acquavella Galleries, New York.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Sunday, October 19, 2008 Home Edition Sunday Calendar Part E Page 2 Calendar Desk 1 inches; 51 words Type of Material: Correction
Picasso credit: A photograph of Pablo Picasso's "Le Reve," accompanying an article last Sunday about the painting returning to public view after being damaged, was credited to Bloomberg News. The credit should have read: Copyright 2008 Estate of Pablo Picasso/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of Acquavella Galleries, New York.
Now, for the first time since the elbow episode, "Le Reve" is returning to public view. On Wednesday, New York's Acquavella Galleries presents "Picasso's Marie-Therese," a survey of works inspired by the middle-aged artist's nine-year affair with the pretty, young blond. Loans are coming from private collections and major museums, including the Museum of Modern Art and London's Tate.
The puncture left a several-inch tear across Marie-Therese's voluptuous left forearm. What happened in Vegas didn't stay there, as the calamity was reported in a New York Post gossip column, complete with factual errors, 10 days later. Soon, variations on the horrible tale appeared on the Internet, in print and on global TV and radio.
The ballooning art market was the headline. In 1997, the painting had fetched $48.8 million at a landmark sale. In 2006, the damage occurred a day after its owner, casino and resort mogul Steve Wynn, had arranged to sell the painting privately -- an abruptly canceled $139-million deal, perhaps the most money ever for a painting.
No cynicism is needed to assume that one goal of the exhibition is to publicly demonstrate that repairs to "Le Reve" have not had serious effect on its market value. William Acquavella has brokered many of Wynn's art acquisitions over the years, perhaps including this one. (Wynn bought the Picasso privately in 2001.) The Upper Eastside gallery is housed in the old Astor mansion on 79th Street, a stone's throw from the Metropolitan Museum. There, many Old Masters paintings would reveal, if they could be taken down off brocade walls and examined from the back, any number of damage-repairs made over centuries. Not all masterpieces are pristine.
