Picasso's 'The Actor' was painted in the winter of 1904-'05 - and damaged by a clumsy art lover 105 years later.
A clutzy art lover tripped onto a rare Picasso painting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, tearing a hole in the century-old masterpiece, the museum said Sunday.
The unidentified woman was attending an adult education class Friday afternoon when she lost her balance and stumbled into "The Actor," causing a 6-inch tear in the bottom of the canvas.
"Fortunately, the damage did not occur in a focal point of the composition," the Met said in a statement, adding that the damage can be fully repaired.
Pablo Picasso created "The Actor," an unusually large painting measuring about 6 feet by 4 feet, in the winter of 1904-'05.
It depicts an acrobat striking a pose and marks a transition to the artist's rose period.
The artwork, which was donated to the Met in 1952, hung in a second-floor gallery without incident until Friday.
The painting is expected to be repaired in time to go on display in an exhibit of some 250 Picasso works that opens April 27.
