Nature Conservancy sues Suffolk man over Montauk statue

The owner of Andy Warhol's former Montauk estate has flouted several requests to remove an approximately 25-foot statue he unlawfully placed on the nature preserve that abuts his property, a lawsuit states.

Attorneys for The Nature Conservancy say Adam Lindemann, a prominent art dealer, trespassed on its Andy Warhol Visual Arts Preserve and installed the sculpture without permission.

"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," William H. Taft V, the Conservancy's Manhattan-based attorney, wrote in the lawsuit filed Aug. 20 in the Eastern District of New York.

The Conservancy is seeking an injunction prohibiting Lindemann from entering the property, a declaration the Conservancy is entitled to exclusive control of the Preserve, a declaration Lindemann has no remaining ownership of the sculpture, a declaration the Conservancy can remove the sculpture, and reasonable attorneys fees.

Lindemann could not be reached for comment. 

The Conservancy, an Arlington, Virginia-based nonprofit dedicated to environmental preservation, received the property as a donation from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts in 1992. The Conservancy agreed to "preserve a section of the ecologically significant Montauk Moorlands and to promote the visual arts," according to the lawsuit.

The protection of the preserve is "important for migratory birds, rare species, and other wildlife," the lawsuit states. "The Preserve’s location along the Atlantic Flyway — a major north-south migration route used by birds in North America — makes it an important feeding ground and stop-over site for Neotropical migratory birds."

Lindemann's estate, known as Eothen, Greek for "from the east," was Warhol's former home. The nearly six-acre property has a house and six cottages and sold for $50 million in 2015, Newsday previously reported. It also has a 24-acre horse farm, which Lindemann did not purchase.

In 2021, Conservancy staff found Lindemann had installed the sculpture on the Preserve without permission, per the lawsuit. The sculpture, created by artist Julian Schnabel, is known as "Ahab." Conservancy staff had also observed Lindemann parking his personal vehicles in the Preserve's parking lot, mowing its lawn and planting shrubs.

The Conservancy asked Lindemann in a December 2024 letter to remove the sculpture within 90 days.

"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," Taft wrote.

Lindemann agreed to remove the sculpture by Aug. 31, 2025, according to the lawsuit, following a May meeting with Conservancy officials. But Lindemann did not remove the sculpture, according to the lawsuit.

Conservancy officials sent Lindemann a cease-and-desist on Feb. 6 demanding he refrain from entering the property, maintaining "any part of the preserve" and parking on the property. It also demanded he remove the art work within 30 days.

"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," Taft wrote.

The Conservancy has requested a jury trial. 

By Joshua Needelman

joshua.needelman@newsday.com

Joshua Needelman covers the Town of North Hempstead for Newsday. A Long Island native and University of Maryland graduate, his work has appeared in publications including The New York Times and The Washington Post.