Legendary photographer Peter Beard has been complaining about the Hamptons for years. “Montauk used to have what you call rural integrity,” he told New York in 2003, “but now it’s like Palm Beach or New York. ” Now, he’s finally had enough. Beard and his wife, Nejma, are putting their Montauk estate on the market, according to the WSJ. Apparently, even a couple who hosted massive parties for cocaine-hoovering members of the Studio 54 scene back in the seventies find the “seriously primitive behavior” of the “parasites and harpies” in the area distasteful. But even though they’re shipping out, the Beards aren’t about to let any billionaire waltz in and buy the place, a collection of five cottages sitting on six acres, which the WSJ estimates to be worth around $25 million.
“I see myself as a guardian of the land,” says Ms. Beard, who says she’s looking for the right buyer.
Also, they’re taking some of the quirkiest aspects of the property with them.
Ms. Beard’s cat is buried in the front of a two-story cottage she shared with her daughter this summer. (She plans to exhume the cat when she leaves.)
Frankly, let that be a lesson to all deep-pocketed real-estate shoppers. You can buy an artist’s real estate, but you can’t buy their authenticity.
