Did billionaire Steven Cohen buy Picasso painting from Steve Wynn?

Has billionaire hedge fund manager Steven Cohen purchased Picasso’s “Le Rêve” from billionaire hotel and casino magnate Steve Wynn?

A story in the New York Post this week reports that Cohen has bought the coveted painting for $155 million. If true, the sale would be one of the most expensive single art transactions in U.S. history. A spokesman for Cohen declined to comment on the matter.

“Le Rêve” is the painting that Wynn famously damaged by accident in 2006 when he punctured the canvas with his elbow. He later had the painting repaired.

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Cohen is the head of SAC Capital Advisors, a Connecticut hedge fund. He is one of the top art collectors in the world and sits on the board of trustees of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.

This isn’t the first time that Cohen’s name has been mentioned as a potential buyer of “Le Rêve.” In 2006, shortly before the elbow incident, Cohen had reportedly agreed to buy the painting from Wynn for $139 million. But the deal apparently never went through.

“Le Rêve,” or “The Dream,” was painted by Picasso in 1932 and depicts Marie-Thérèse, the artist’s mistress. Wynn acquired the painting in 2001.

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