Picasso's restored 'Le Reve' to go on view

畢卡索名畫「夢」修復後重新公開展出

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 skill and candid insight into human nature were not the cause.

First, on a chilly Manhattan night in November 1997, "Le Reve"－"The Dream" －broke all records for a single-owner sale. Then, on a hot Las Vegas evening in September 2006, a new owner poked a hole in the painting with an errant elbow while showing the prize to unexpectedly shocked friends.

Now, for the first time since the rip, "Le Reve" is returning to public view. The puncture left a several-inch tear across Marie-Therese's voluptuous left forearm.

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. Many Old Masters paintings would reveal, if they could be taken down and examined from the back, any number of damage repairs made over centuries. Not all masterpieces are pristine.

Yet, like torn canvas and buckled brush strokes, reputations can also need fixing. This exhibition will show that despite minor damages, "Le Reve" is still an exquisite Modern painting and a brilliant, justifiably famous masterpiece.

candid (adj.) 坦白的；直率的
human nature 人性
errant (adj.) 錯誤的；意外的
puncture (n.) 刺孔；破洞
voluptuous (adj.) 豐滿的；風情萬種的
cynicism (n.) 憤世嫉俗
to take down 取下；拆除
pristine (adj.) 原始的；純樸的
canvas (n.) 畫布；帆布
exquisite (adj.) 精緻的；絕妙的