Nature Conservancy Sues Adam Lindemann Over Julian Schnabel Sculpture

(MENAFN- USA Art News) The Nature Conservancy has filed a lawsuit against art dealer Adam Lindemann, alleging he installed a 25-foot-tall Julian Schnabel sculpture without permission on a protected preserve in Montauk, Long Island. The lawsuit was filed on August 20 in New York's Eastern District, as first reported by Newsday.

Lindemann, founder of the now-defunct Venus Over Manhattan gallery, owns the adjacent six-acre estate known as Eothen, which he acquired from J CEO Millard Drexler for $50 million in 2015, according to The Real Deal. The property neighbors the Andy Warhol Visual Arts Preserve, which the conservancy now owns and which was once the property of Pop artist Andy Warhol. The conservancy, an Arlington, Virginia –based nonprofit, received the New York property in 1992 as a donation from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. At that time, the conservancy agreed to“preserve a section of the ecologically significant Montauk Moorlands and to promote the visual arts,” according to the lawsuit.

The conservancy alleges that Lindemann installed Schnabel's sculpture, titled Ahab, without authorization. After discovering the artwork, the conservancy sent an initial letter in December 2024, requesting Lindemann remove the sculpture within 90 days. Additional correspondence regarding its removal followed. The lawsuit also claims Lindemann parked personal vehicles in the preserve's lot, mowed its lawn, and planted shrubs on the property.

William H. Taft V, the conservancy's attorney, stated in the suit:“Despite TNC's repeated demands and efforts towards amicable resolution, Defendant has refused to remove the Sculpture and continues to enter the property without permission.”

According to the lawsuit, Lindemann agreed to remove the sculpture by August 31, 2025, following a meeting with conservancy officials in May. However, on September 7, 2025, Lindemann sent an email to the nonprofit stating:“as promised I'm moving the sculpture!” He added:“Sure hope that makes you happy as it's expensive and disruptive but it's happening as you wished and I agreed. All the best to you and I'll send pics as soon as the move is completed, we are currently organizing this with the local artist, the famous local artist Julian Schnabel's team.”

Taft also explained that the conservancy,“In a show of good faith, and with the intent to resolve these issues amicably, TNC noted that Defendant may not have been aware of the exact boundary lines between the Preserve and Defendant's property and offered to meet with Defendant on site to walk their shared boundary.”

On February 6, 2026, conservancy officials allegedly sent Lindemann a cease-and-desist letter, demanding he stop entering and parking on the property, and cease maintaining“any part of the preserve.” The letter also demanded the artwork's removal within 30 days. The sculpture has allegedly not yet been removed. Taft confirmed that,“To date, Defendant continues to park personal vehicles in the Preserve's parking area, mow the Preserve adjacent to his property, and refuses to remove the Sculpture from the Preserve.”

The conservancy has requested a jury trial and is seeking an injunction to prevent Lindemann from entering the property. It also seeks declarations affirming the conservancy's exclusive control of the preserve, that Lindemann does not own the sculpture, and that the conservancy has the right to remove it, in addition to attorneys' fees. The lawsuit emphasizes that protecting the preserve is“important for migratory birds, rare species, and other wildlife,” noting its location along the Atlantic Flyway makes it“an important feeding ground and stop-over site for Neotropical migratory birds.” Lindemann did not respond to ARTnews's request for comment by the time of publication.

Source: ARTnews

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