£80 million Picasso torn by student - 26/01/2010

A Pablo Picasso painting has been ripped by an art student at a gallery in New York, it has been revealed.

The Actor, which is valued at approximately £80 million, was accidently torn when an art student lost her footing and fell into the painting while attending a class at the Metropolitan Museum in the Big Apple.

The painting is one of Picasso's most celebrated pieces as a result of its representation of a turning point in his artistic focus, moving from the Blue Period to the Rose Period.

Housed in the museum since 1952, the piece was damaged near the bottom of the six foot by four foot canvas and was immediately taken away for repair.

A statement from the museum said: "Fortunately, the damage did not occur in a focal point of the composition, and the curatorial and conservation staffs fully expect that the repair, which will take place in the coming weeks, will be unobtrusive."

The Actor was painted in 1904-05.