The day had finally come. Kat's divorce was final, and we scurried around town ironing out final touches as we prepared for the party. The theme was Liberation, and we had gone to great lengths to adhere to its spirit. The soundtrack was littered with songs about it, from Christina Aguilera and Outkast to Slipknot and the Pet Shop Boys. The invitations and menus were written in the liberation sans font.

The centerpiece, however, was that, after substantial effort, I had acquired from a private collector a beautiful 1974 painting by the Danish artist Odd Nerdrum entitled "Liberation." It was an almost seven-feet by ten-feet oil painting on canvas, and...