Unwelcome Art Rises On Cliff Top

    A 15-foot tall, pink, er, ah, well, what’s been dubbed a pink penis has sprouted from the edge of the cliff in the Montauk moorlands. Neighbors say they feel violated, aesthetically speaking.

    The few oceanfront homeowners in one of Montauk’s most exclusive neighborhoods say the work of art has ruined the dramatic panorama that stretches down the hoodoo-sculpted bluffs out onto the Atlantic Ocean to the horizon. To make matters worse, the pink piece is illuminated at night.

    The art is a work by the Austrian sculptor Franz West, who died on July 25 in Vienna. He was 65.

    The neighbors have politely suggested to Adam Lindenmann, an art collector and critic for The New York Observer, that if he must erect the thing he could kindly move it back from the cliff to a less exposed location. There has been no response, they say.

    Mr. Lindenmann caused a stir several years ago when he installed “Bear/Lamp,” a sculpture by Urs Fischer of a giant yellow teddy bear leaning against a reading lamp, on his Montauk moorland property. It was installed closer to Mr. Lindemann’s house, but the yellow bear raised Montauk eyebrows nonetheless. It continues to serve as a range marker for surfers and fishermen.

    Art is one thing, but the East Hampton Town Code would likely describe Mr. Lindemann’s new sculpture as a structure and as such, it would likely require a variance in order to be placed in its present location. The thing could also be in violation of the town’s lighting regulations. 





A tall, pink metal sculpture, at left, is visible from the ocean, as is a 35,000-pound yellow bear wearing what appears to be a lampshade near Adam Lindemann’s Montauk bluff-top house.                                                                                                                                              Hampton Pix