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Mithras · Oct 17, 2006, 08:21 AM

Steve Wynn, the Las Vegas casino magnate, bought Picasso's Le Rêve for more than $48 million in 2001. He recently decided to sell it to his friend Steve Cohen; they agreed on the record-breaking price of $139 million.

A few weekends ago, Wynn was entertaining six guests at his Wynn Las Vegas casino. (The guests included Barbara Walters and David Boies of Microsoft and Gore v. Bush fame). He invited them upstairs to his office to look at the painting. Once there, he started talking about the painting, inadvertently took a few steps back, and then gestured with his right hand ----- POP! he put his elbow through the canvas.

Now, this guy has $140 million to spare, so you can't feel too bad. But what an unbelievable sinking feeling he must have had....

Have you guys had a boneheaded moment of breaking something you really really wish you hadn't?

rickey939 · Oct 17, 2006, 08:24 AM

turtle777 · Oct 17, 2006, 08:50 AM

Must fell like a real shitty day

-t

Y3a · Oct 17, 2006, 09:02 AM

Stupid spelled wit 2 "O" s.

Being rich doesn't guarantee intelligence!

jckalen · Oct 17, 2006, 09:28 AM

Is that the painting in question? I'm not sure which is stoopider... putting his elbow through it or buying it in the 1st place.

Mithras · Oct 17, 2006, 09:34 AM

No, this is the painting. It's really very nice:

Dakar² · Oct 17, 2006, 09:38 AM

I think I see nip

Dark Helmet · Oct 17, 2006, 10:28 AM

It would have been funny if the tear is right where her hands are covering.

badidea · Oct 17, 2006, 10:40 AM

That's exactly the reason why I don't have any Picassos on my wall!

CharlesS · Oct 17, 2006, 10:49 AM

Well, that and the fact that none of us have $140 million to throw around.

Railroader · Oct 17, 2006, 10:49 AM

A fool and his money...

I wonder how much the insurance is going to cover.

Railroader · Oct 17, 2006, 10:50 AM

Originally Posted by CharlesS

Well, that and the fact that none of us have $140 million to throw around.

I'm close

Chuckit · Oct 17, 2006, 11:02 AM

Originally Posted by CharlesS

Well, that and the fact that none of us have $140 million to throw around.

Yeah, I bet you peasants only have, like, $7 million.

Chuckit · Oct 17, 2006, 11:02 AM

EDIT: Erm…this new forum software seems to double-post a lot…

Peter · Oct 17, 2006, 11:52 AM

Rich people make mistakes TOO?!

Rumor · Oct 17, 2006, 11:55 AM

Eh, pocket change. Just hire a voodoo priest to rez Picaso and have him paint another one.

Railroader · Oct 17, 2006, 11:58 AM

Originally Posted by Peter

Rich people make mistakes TOO?!

I do NOT!!!

kick52 · Oct 17, 2006, 12:53 PM

he can get it repaired...

TheoCryst · Oct 17, 2006, 02:24 PM

Originally Posted by rickey939

Quoted for emphasis.

EDIT: Okay, now it's actually quoted. For emphasis. Yeah...

Kerrigan · Oct 17, 2006, 02:27 PM

According to another article I read on this, he has a condition which makes him unable to see things in his periphery. That sort of explains it.

kmkkid · Oct 17, 2006, 03:20 PM

Originally Posted by Mithras

Now, this guy has $140 million to spare, so you can't feel too bad. But what an unbelievable sinking feeling he must have had....

I don't think ANYONE has $140 Million to spare, no matter how rich one may be.

Dark Helmet · Oct 17, 2006, 03:25 PM

Originally Posted by Kerrigan

According to another article I read on this, he has a condition which makes him unable to see things in his periphery. That sort of explains it.

You mean how he could write that many zero's on a check?

mitchell_pgh · Oct 17, 2006, 03:26 PM

Originally Posted by kmkkid

I don't think ANYONE has $140 Million to spare, no matter how rich one may be.

The painting will not lose (much if any) value.

Chuckit · Oct 17, 2006, 03:33 PM

Originally Posted by kmkkid

I don't think ANYONE has $140 Million to spare, no matter how rich one may be.

Are you kidding? That's, like, half of 1 percent of Bill Gates' fortune.

icruise · Oct 17, 2006, 03:34 PM

They can fix things like that. I'm sure it won't be cheap to get it professionally restored, but not $140 million either.

Big Mac · Oct 17, 2006, 03:37 PM

Isn't Wynn a sufferer of Macular Degeneration? That may have had something to do with it.

Kerrigan · Oct 17, 2006, 03:38 PM

Probably very few people have $140m in liquid assets. I doubt even Gates is foolish enough to that much in cash or deposit credits.

Kerrigan · Oct 17, 2006, 03:41 PM

"The accident occurred as a gesturing Wynn, who suffers from retinitis pigmentosa, an eye disease that affects peripheral vision, struck the painting with his right elbow,"

reviewjournal.com -- News - NORM: Wynn accidentally damages Picasso

olePigeon · Oct 17, 2006, 04:37 PM

I bet he's pissed off that, after reading the article, his "friend" bought the painting for only $48 million.

Rumor · Oct 17, 2006, 04:41 PM

What's a $100 million between friends?

hyteckit · Oct 17, 2006, 04:58 PM

Wynn will he ever learn not to poke the nipple, especially with a elbow.

PB2K · Oct 17, 2006, 05:10 PM

it's like masterpieces attract idiots..the nightwatch (rembrandt) was attacked by crazy people too, with acid, with knives..

i really wonder what drives a man to attack a wonderful painting

Silky Voice of The Gorn · Oct 17, 2006, 05:11 PM

"periphery vision"? Wynn is almost competely, legally blind, that's putting it very mildly. I was at the Wynn Las Vegas last year, and saw him being led by the arm by an assistant. Sad, really. And his contemporary art collection is stellar.

Kerrigan · Oct 17, 2006, 05:19 PM

Ironic that he is a big art collector, if he can't see.

Rumor · Oct 17, 2006, 05:20 PM

I wish the picture would have been him and the painting with the hole in it.

Stradlater · Oct 17, 2006, 05:21 PM

Originally Posted by Mithras

...Now, this guy has $140 million to spare...

This is probably true, but he was the seller, right? So really he's just not getting that $140 in the first place now.

Monique · Oct 17, 2006, 05:26 PM

Yes we all had our clusty moments but I never destroyed a Picasso before. Wow losing 100 million that must hurt.

puppetswhokill · Oct 17, 2006, 11:01 PM

Originally Posted by Mithras

No, this is the painting. It's really very nice:

Is that a penis growing out of her head?

nonhuman · Oct 17, 2006, 11:30 PM

Originally Posted by puppetswhokill

Is that a penis growing out of her head?

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought that...

turtle777 · Oct 17, 2006, 11:50 PM

Originally Posted by puppetswhokill

Is that a penis growing out of her head?

Dude, I didn't notice until now. That's seriously farked up.

-t

kmkkid · Oct 17, 2006, 11:58 PM

Originally Posted by what_the_heck

Dude, I didn't notice until now. That's seriously farked up.

-t

Apparently the women of that time also had 6 fingers.

turtle777 · Oct 18, 2006, 12:04 AM

Originally Posted by kmkkid

Apparently the women of that time also had 6 fingers.

I have come to the conclusion that this is an alien.

-t

nonhuman · Oct 18, 2006, 12:05 AM

Originally Posted by kmkkid

Apparently the women of that time also had 6 fingers.

Why, how many do women in Canada have?

- - e r i k - - · Oct 18, 2006, 01:19 AM

Originally Posted by mitchell_pgh

The painting will not lose (much if any) value.

Quoted for truth.

The painting can be restored and it won't be any visible damage. It's going to cost him, but not near anything like $140 mill. It's just a funny story, that's all.

Paintings get restored all the time. Good example is Munch's Scream which was just recently recovered from theft with major damage to it.

PB2K · Oct 18, 2006, 04:21 AM

restoration can damage a painting : there was a huge famous painting of a red surface that was subject to restoration. it turned out that the restorer did a quick job with a paintroller, unnoticable to anyone. but when the museum found out they sued the restorer.

also, i am not a big fan of the renovations inside the the sistine chapel, it's just too bright

http://daphne.palomar.edu/mhudelson/...ghRen/3182.jpg

- - e r i k - - · Oct 18, 2006, 06:28 PM

Originally Posted by PB2K

restoration can damage a painting : there was a huge famous painting of a red surface that was subject to restoration. it turned out that the restorer did a quick job with a paintroller, unnoticable to anyone. but when the museum found out they sued the restorer.

also, i am not a big fan of the renovations inside the the sistine chapel, it's just too bright

http://daphne.palomar.edu/mhudelson/...ghRen/3182.jpg

Have you been to the Sistine Chapel? It's not exactly what I would call bright in there. Restoring the paintings to how they looked when they were new is a good thing in my book.

stevesnj · Oct 18, 2006, 07:03 PM

Rumor · Oct 18, 2006, 07:03 PM

Originally Posted by what_the_heck

I have come to the conclusion that this is an alien.

-t

I'm going to say he was intoxicated when he painted it.

kick52 · Oct 18, 2006, 07:05 PM

Originally Posted by stevesnj

quoted for epahsi... <-you know the word

freediverdude · Oct 19, 2006, 12:46 PM

I still don't quite understand how this happened. Even if he had vision problems and even if he put his elbow back against the painting- the article said it made like a quarter sized hole in it. Elbows just aren't that sharp. I could see maybe denting it, or maybe the push against it ripping part of it from the frame, but I just can't picture what they said happened making a small round hole. Maybe it was more like a tear or something. And it would have had to have been very rigidly affixed to the wall, so the painting couldn't move or give at all.