A woman who lost her balance and tore a hole in a Pablo Picasso painting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art likely cut the $130 million painting’s value in half, a top appraiser said yesterday.
Conservators said they will be able to fix the 6-inch tear in “The Actor” (above), but appraiser Gerard van Weyenbergh said the painting may never recover its value.
“It’s a 50 percent loss of the value — at least,” van Weyenbergh, who has handled numerous Picassos, told The Post. “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 would not identify the woman who fell into the painting, but they said conservators will have it ready for the museum’s Picasso exhibition later this year. J