The Long Island City building 5Pointz, which became a graffiti mecca before being torn down to make way for residential towers, is the subject of a lawsuit over protected public art.
A group of more than 20 artists are suing developer Jerry Wolkoff under a relatively obscure federal law called the Visual Artists Rights Act, The New York Times reported. The group is claiming damages under the statute, which protects art of “recognized stature” on others’ property, and arguing the developer did not give 90 days’ notice. Court proceedings kicked off Tuesday.
Wolkoff bought the building that once stood along Jackson Avenue, hugged by the No. 7 train line, back in 1972. The painting program started in the 1990s, eventually attracting world-class graffiti writers. Wolkoff is claiming all of the art on the building’s walls was ephemeral—about 11,000 pieces went up at 5Pointz over the years, according to Wolkoff’s lawyer, David Ebert, and artists constantly painted fresh murals over older works.
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“That was the deal at 5Pointz,” Ebert said.
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