The latest update on the endangered Four Seasons Restaurant: the venue's prized Picasso tapestry will not be removed from the establishment anytime soon, thanks to a New York State Supreme Court judge's ruling yesterday that the canvas cannot be moved without permission.
The painted curtain, dubbed "Le Tricorne," is owned by the New York Landmarks Conservancy and has hung in the restaurant for over 50 years. The real estate company that owns the Seagram Building in which the restaurant resides wanted to remove the canvas to repair the wall behind it; according to Judge Matthew F. Cooper, however, the company must obtain the Conservancy's permission for removal.
The Conservancy, for its part, has previously noted the canvas could "crack like a potato chip" if removed. "We believe that moving it would cause irreparable damage and the safest thing to do is leave it where it is,” Peg Breen, president of the conservancy, told the Times. “It’s good news for the curtain."
It also may be good news for the Four Seasons, which is reportedly struggling with lease negotiations in hopes of staying in its space. There's been some concern that the famed work's removal has more to do with building developer Aby Rosen's attempt to oust the restaurant; some suspect he'll replace the canvas with art from his own collection.
