NEW YORK (AP) — A foundation that safeguards pop artist Larry Rivers’ legacy says the owner of the Chelsea Hotel has removed and won’t return a loaned painting that hung in the famously artist-friendly New York hotel’s lobby.
The Larry Rivers Foundation sued Tuesday, seeking the return of the canvas, “Dutch Masters.” A representative for hotel owner Joseph Chetrit (cheh-TREET’) had no immediate comment.
The foundation values the late 1970s painting at $250,000 or more. The suit says Rivers lent it to the hotel around 1998. He died in 2002.
The lawsuit says “Dutch Masters” was removed after Chetrit bought the hotel in 2011 and began renovations. The foundation says the management rebuffed demands to return the painting.
The landmark hotel has drawn many artists and musicians, including Bob Dylan and Patti Smith.
