Jewish Developer Must Pay $6.7M For Destroying Famous Graffiti Art
Image by Getty Images
By Josh Nathan-Kazis February 14, 2018
A federal judge ordered a developer on Monday to pay $6.7 million to graffiti artists whose murals he whitewashed five years ago, The New York Times reported.
The developer, Jerry Wolkoff, has owned the Queens, New York graffiti mecca known as 5Pointz since the 1970s. In 2013, amid plans to redevelop the property, Wolkoff ordered dozens of world-famous works of graffiti art erased from the building’s walls.
“The clear message is that art protected by federal law must be cherished and not destroyed,” Eric Baum, a lawyer for the 21 artists who won the judgement, told the Times. “With this win, the spirit of 5Pointz becomes a legacy for generations of artists to come.”
Under the court’s ruling, some of the destroyed artwork at 5Pointz was determined to have been been protected by a federal law meant to protect public art.
Wolkoff’s son and business partner, David Wolkoff, is married to Stephanie Wolkoff, senior advisor to First Lady Melania Trump.
Contact Josh Nathan-Kazis at [email protected] or on Twitter, @joshnathankazis.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
