For over 50 years, “Le Tricorne”, a Picasso tapestry canvas 19 feet high has made it’s home in the hallway leading up the the Four Seasons restaurant on Park Avenue. This piece became an integral NYC centerpiece as it was displayed forefront at the premier high society and legendary restaurant. When the Mies van Dder Rohe building was bought by Aby Rosen, an extremely prominent contemporary art collector, everyone figured it was a matter of time before the discussion regarding the removal of the tapestry began. For quite some time, conservationists cried that moving the tapestry would be negligent due to it’s extremely fragile state. But after a lengthy “battle”, Mr. Rosen was granted the right to take down this Picasso masterpiece. Deemed important because it was a stark departure from his earlier, more avant-grade and Cubist pieces, “Le Tricorne” was commissioned by Serge Diaghilev, the director of the Ballets Russes, a French ballet company. Still, there’s plentry of controversy to the authenticity of this canvas as many art historians claim that Picasso himself did very little work on this canvas. We won’t ever know that for sure, but one thing we can hope for is that this NYC cultural icon won’t spend it’s remaining days in storage!
Photo courtesy of: The New York Times
