Art Blog

Emotions ran high at a public hearing Tuesday before the Sag Harbor Zoning Board of Appeals, which is trying to decide whether a 16-foot-tall sculpture by Larry Rivers known as "Legs" should be permitted to remain on a private lawn in the village historic district.

The board, residents and members of the art community debated whether "Legs" should be considered art or an accessory structure that must conform with zoning. According to the ZBA, applicants Ruth Vered and Janet Lehr seek to legalize an accessory structure that is a foot taller than what is permitted, and sited just 1 foot from the lot line, where a 35 feet setback is required. But Vered and Lehr say the fiberglass sculpture of a woman's long, slender legs in stockings is an artwork, created by the late, renowned Southampton artist Larry Rivers, whose million dollar works are in major museums. The owners of the Vered Gallery bought the sculpture about three years ago from a collector and installed on the side of their home, a former Baptist church dating back to 1844.

But since then, the two women have received notices from the Sag Harbor Building Department that they had not applied for a permit and may be in violation of the zoning code. When they got a notice that "Legs" should come down, their attorney applied for a hearing.

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