$70 million Pablo Picasso painting gets 'accidentally damaged' right before auction

Valued at $70 million, Pablo Picasso's Le Marin (The Sailor) was set to go to auction on Tuesday evening at Christie's New York.

But the painting was pulled shortly before it was due to go under the hammer, with the auction house announcing the artwork was "accidentally damaged Friday during the final stages of preparation" and that it would now require restoration. Yikes.

"Christie's has a very high standard of care for the objects entrusted to us and we have taken immediate measures to remedy the matter in partnership with our client," the statement continued. No other details about the damage, or how it became damaged, were revealed.

It's believed the artwork is a self-portrait by Picasso, painted in 1943 while France was under Nazi occupation. Le Marin was expected to fetch one of the top five highest prices for a Picasso at auction.

The painting belongs to casino magnate Steve Wynn, who has recently faced allegations of sexual misconduct dating back to the 1970s.

Le Marin was one of three paintings Wynn commissioned Christie's to sell. Another Picasso work Wynn owned, Femme au chat assise dans un fauteuil, was also pulled from sale, as reported by Bloomberg.

It's not the first time a Picasso owned by the mogul has been damaged. Wynn, who has an eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa which affects his peripheral vision, accidentally put his elbow into Le Rêve back in 2006.

It was worth $139 million, before the damage.