Rich People Get Into a Snit Over Public Art

A town in the Hamptons and a local business owner have been plunged into a bitter battle over an unconventional artist’s shipping container sculpture that has divided the ritzy community. Matt Johnson's sculpture, Meditating Figure, was constructed on The Ranch, owned by Max Levai in Montauk.  A series of retired shipping containers were welded together to create a figure that appeared to be meditating. It sits on Levai's property, which was once protected farmland. 

It didn't take long for residents to air out their grievances about the artist's work, with many locals calling for it to be dismantled and demolished.   Now, East Hampton, which includes Montauk, has sued Levai and The Ranch for the "unlawful construction and maintenance of an un-permitted structure on real property."   

Despite the land being privately owned, the town argued that an August 1983 agreement stated that the land could only be developed as agricultural production. This isn't the first time Levai has shown artwork on The Ranch, which he has owned since 2021. However, it is the first time the town has brought a lawsuit against him for it.   The town said Levai failed to apply for a permit with the town to allow the structure to be on the land.

Johnson told Vanity Fair that it made sense for him to install the artwork in Montauk, as the tiny town was once known as an artist's colony. It is also the furthest point of Long Island.  'I think a lot of times, artists – and I certainly feel this way about living where I live – it’s nice to sort of just get yourself a distance away from all the stuff that’s going on,' he told the magazine.