Breasts on record-breaking Picasso painting blurred out by Fox news station

‘The Women of Algiers’ set new world record price for any work of art sold at an auction

Picasso's 'Les Femme d’Alger (Version ‘O’)', an oil painting from 1955, smashes the record for the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction after it soared to US $179.4m (€159.86 million). Video: Reuters

A senior US art critic has criticised a Fox News station for blurring out the breasts in a report on a record breaking Pablo Picasso painting.

‘Les Femmes D’Alger (Version “O”’)’, known, in English, as ‘The Women of Algiers’ , sold for $179.4 million (€159.86 million) at Christie’s in New York on Monday.

The report was about how the 1955 painting by the Spanish artist created a new world record price for any work of art sold at an auction.

‘Les femmes d’Alger (Version O)’ painted by Pablo Picasso  sold for a record-breaking $179,365,000. Photograph: Andrew Burton/Getty Images
‘Les femmes d’Alger (Version O)’ painted by Pablo Picasso sold for a record-breaking $179,365,000. Photograph: Andrew Burton/Getty Images

New York Magazine senior art Jerry Saltz tweeted his disapproval of the station's actions.

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“How sexually sick are conservatives & Fox News? They blurred parts of the Picasso painting. #SickMinds.”

A screengrab of the Fox5NYshows the breasts of the three female figures of the painting blurred out.

Christie in New York, the auctioneers, ger (Version “O”)’ - known, in English, as ‘The Women of Algiers’ - as “a milestone in Picasso’s oeuvre and one of his most famous masterpieces”.

FOX 5 Good Day New York anchors Rosanna Scotto and Greg Kelly responded to the criticism of the news report on their morning show.

“Rightfully we were, the 10 o’clock news, ridiculed on Twitter. We get it, it was ridiculous,” Mr Kelly said.

Rachel Flaherty

Rachel Flaherty

Rachel Flaherty is Digital Features Editor and journalist with The Irish Times