Le Rêve (The Dream)

Pablo Picasso painted this Le Rêve (The Dream) in a single afternoon on January 24, 1932. The canvas depicts his 22-year-old mistress Marie-Thérèse Walter asleep in an armchair, her head tilted back and face split into two profiles in his signature Cubist style. Bold reds, yellows, and greens contrast against the composition, which measures roughly 51 by 38 inches.

Marie-Thérèse became Picasso's most frequent muse during the early 1930s, inspiring hundreds of works. Their relationship began when she was 17 and he was 45, and the erotic charge of their affair infuses the painting with intimate energy. Critics have noted suggestive imagery hidden in the composition, reflecting Picasso's obsession with his young lover.

The painting has a notable history. Victor and Sally Ganz bought it in 1941 for $7,000. In 2006, casino magnate Steve Wynn agreed to sell it for $139 million, then accidentally put his elbow through the canvas while showing it to friends. After professional restoration, hedge fund manager Steven A. Cohen acquired it in 2013 for $155 million, $16 million more than the pre-damage price.