"Le Tricorne," a 19-foot-tall Picasso tapestry that has hung in the lobby of the Four Seasons Restaurant for over 55 years, is scheduled to be removed this week so that structural engineers can repair the wall behind it. Some art experts fear that the work might be damaged in the process, and that once it is removed, it will not return to "Picasso Alley," as the hallway is known.
The Seagram Building, which is home to the Four Seasons, is owned and operated by RFR Holding, but the painting is actually owned by the New York Landmarks Conservancy. Peg Breen, the president of the NYLC, believes that the call to remove the work and repair the wall is actually a ploy to get the Picasso out of the Seagram Building so that RFR executive Aby Rosen can replace it with another piece of art. Ms. Breen tells the Times:
I asked for his engineer's report and he said he didn't have one...I asked why any repairs couldn't be done without moving the curtain. He said there was no room and that it should not be put up again because it would have to be moved in a couple of years when he planned additional work.Although the Four Seasons dining room is a landmarked space, the Piccaso is excluded from the landmark designation. The MOMA has agreed to put the tapestry in storage if it comes down for good. It's slated to be removed on February 9.
· At Four Seasons, Picasso Tapestry Hangs on the Edge of Eviction [NYT]
· All Coverage of The Four Seasons [~ENY~]
[Photo: The Four Seasons]