Rosen’s “dislike” for Picasso behind removal: suit

Aby Rosen, Picasso's "Le Tricorne" and the Four Seasons Restaurant
Aby Rosen, Picasso's "Le Tricorne" and the Four Seasons Restaurant

Aby Rosen’s plans to remove a Pablo Picasso painting from the Four Seasons Restaurant lobby at the Seagram Building may be in jeopardy. A new lawsuit seeks to block the removal of the “Le Tricorne” painting, claiming that removal could damage the painting permanently and that it was being carried out due to Rosen’s dislike of the masterpiece.

The limestone wall behind the artwork is in desperate need of repairs, according to Rosen’s RFR Holding, Which Owns The 375 Park Avenue tower. But the New York Landmarks Conservancy, which filed the suit in Manhattan Supreme Court on Thursday, said that Rosen’s claim that the wall needs repairs are simply an excuse to allow him to get rid of a painting he despises.

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“Mr. Rosen has previously referred to the Picasso curtain as a schmatte, the Yiddish word for rag,” the lawsuit states, according to DNAinfo. “The sole basis for RFR and Mr. Rosen’s insistence that the Picasso curtain be removed is Mr. Rosen’s own admitted dislike of the Picasso curtain.”

Though the Four Seasons’ interior was granted landmark status in 1989, the Picasso in question was left off the designation because it was owned separately and could therefore be moved. RFR didn’t respond to the website’s requests for comment. [DNAinfo]  – Hiten Samtani