Wealthy Hamptons art dealers become embroiled in bitter TURF WAR over $48 MILLION property that was once owned by Andy Warhol – as petty spat sparked by EASTER EGG hunt descends into a physical fight that has left upscale community divided

A protracted neighborhood dispute between two big, wealthy art world wigs living in the Hamptons has escalated into an all-out turf war over a $48 million mansion once owned by Andy Warhol.

Wealthy art dealers Adam Lindemann, 62, and Max Levai, 35, are in a long-running feud after buying properties along New York’s Old Montauk Freeway.

And what started as squabbles over false advertising and fencing damage, has since escalated and the pair have even come to physical blows – Lindemann allegedly shoved Levai and mocked him as a a “fat boy”.

The fierce debate, which shows no immediate signs of abating, has reportedly left the Hamptons arts crowd bitterly divided.

The neighborhood dispute between Adam Lindemann, 62 (left) and Max Levai, 35 (right) has turned into an all-out turf war

The couple have been in a long-running feud after buying properties along the Old Montauk Freeway in New York.

Lindemann, who is a prominent name on the arts scene, has been a prominent member of the Hamptons community for decades and owns a string of stylish vacation homes.

He inherited an art trading business from his father, financier and collector George Lyle Lindemann, but was quick to carve out his own niche – making a name for himself by regularly acting at odds with the “intentions noblest on the gallery circuit”.

The art collector began working closely with auction houses to achieve impressive sales of pieces from his own collection – including works by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Jeff Koons – which achieved record auction price.

Most recently, in March, he sold $31.5 million worth of artwork in a sale at Christie’s titled ADAM.

Lindemann, who is rumored to be a billionaire, currently lives on a 12-bed, 9.5-bathroom ranch once owned by Andy Warhol.

He bought Eothen from the CEO of J. Crew in 2015 for a staggering $48.7 million – but passed up the opportunity to acquire another piece of land that was on offer at the time.

This parcel of land – a 26-acre former horse ranch called Indian Field – was severed from the rest of Eothen and marketed separately for an additional $25 million.

But, just five years later, Levai – who was previously dubbed “the prince of the art world” – rushed in and bought it for a whopping $8.2 million.

Amid the ongoing pandemic, Levai decided to move into the property full-time and set up a gallery he called The Ranch (pictured)

Lindemann and his wife Amalia Dayan opened their own competing business – South Etna (pictured)

Levai has built his own cult following in the art world – having also tried his hand at various establishments tucked away in New York’s nightlife scene.

He was once set to inherit the Marlborough International Gallery – which has spaces in New York, London, Madrid and Barcelona – before Father Pierre was caught up in a series of messy trials in 2020.

The Levais claimed the board was staging a “coup” to oust them, with the gallery in turn claiming the family’s management had resulted in “substantial economic and reputational harm”.

Hoping for a fresh start, young Levai decided to move into the property full-time amid the ongoing pandemic and set up a gallery he called The Ranch.

It officially opened in July 2021 and just a month later Lindemann and his wife Amalia Dayan opened their own competing business – South Etna.

Levai caused a stir when he started announcing that The Ranch was on former Warhol land.

He was confronted by Vincent Fremont, Warhol’s former studio head, and Levai quickly apologized and posted the relevant corrections, according to net-art.

But the incident reportedly left a bad taste in Lindemann’s mouth – and things will only get worse.

Lindemann is believed to have tried to sell Andy Warhol’s (pictured) former estate in 2020 with an asking price of $65million

In September 2022, The Ranch held a joint exhibition for artist Jamian Juliano-Villani and the late Mike Kelley.

Juliano-Villani said she came up with the idea for an Easter egg hunt in the park, with the winner having to take home one of her paintings – Running of the Bulls – worth an estimated $150,000.

During the search, which lasted seven hours, an overenthusiastic participant ventured onto the neighboring Lindemann property after jumping over a fence.

Lindemann paid for the damages himself, but another community member filed a formal complaint against Levai, claiming he had the wrong permits to hold such an event at his gallery.

He will appear in court later this month to address the claims.

In July of this year, 10 months after the damage to the fence, things got even worse.

Levai had arranged a private visit to the Ranch when Lindemann showed up unannounced.

The pair engaged in a heated discussion before Lindemann nudged Levai with both hands while shoving him with taunts of “What you gonna do about it, fat boy?” depending on the point of sale.

Police were called and the offending party was charged with criminal trespass, misdemeanor and harassment, with a court appearance scheduled for August 16.

Lindemann is believed to have attempted to sell Eothen in 2020 with an asking price of $65 million.

But it looks like he’s now offering Warhol’s old estate as short term subletting at a cost of $350,000.

DailyMail.com has contacted Levai and Lindemann for comment.