Wealthy art dealers in the Hamptons become embroiled in a bitter TURF WAR over more than $48 MILLION property once owned by Andy Warhol – while petty squabbles sparked by the Easter egg hunt spiral into a physical fight that divides the upscale community has left behind

A longstanding neighborly feud between two wealthy art world bigwigs living in the Hamptons has escalated into an all-out gang war over a $48 million mansion that once belonged to Andy Warhol.

Wealthy art dealers Adam Lindemann, 62, and Max Levai, 35, have had a long-running feud after they both bought properties along New York’s Old Montauk Highway.

And what started as bickering over false advertising and damage to the fencing has since escalated, and the pair have even taken physical beatings – with Lindemann reportedly shoving Levai and mocking him as a “fat boy.”

The fierce debate, which shows no immediate signs of slowing down, has reportedly left the art crowd in the Hamptons bitterly divided.

A leading name in the arts scene, Lindemann has been a prominent member of the Hamptons community for decades and owns a range of stylish vacation homes.

He inherited an art business from his father, financier and collector George Lyle Lindemann, but was quick to carve out his own niche – he made a name for himself by regularly defying the “loftier intentions of the gallery circuit.”

The art collector began working closely with auction houses to achieve impressive sales of pieces from his own collection – including Jean-Michel Basquiat and Jeff Koons – that fetched record auction prices.

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

Lindemann, who is rumored to be a billionaire, currently lives in a 12 bed, 9.5 bath ranch formerly owned by Andy Warhol.

He purchased Eothen from J. Crew CEO in 2015 for a whopping $48.7 million, but passed up the opportunity to acquire another piece of land that was being offered at the time.

That piece of land — a 26-acre former horse ranch called Indian Field — was split off from the rest of Eothen and put on the market separately for another $25 million.

But just five years later, Levai — who had previously been nicknamed “the prince of the art world” — swooped in and bought it for a whopping $8.2 million.

Levai has built his own cult following in the art world – he’s also tried his hand at several New York nightlife establishments.

He would one day inherit the international Marlborough gallery – which has spaces in New York, London, Madrid and Barcelona – before father Pierre got caught up in a series of messy lawsuits in 2020.

The Levais claimed that the board staged a “coup d’état” to oust them, as the gallery in turn claimed that the family’s management had resulted in “substantial economic and reputational damage.”

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

It was officially opened in July 2021 and just a month later, Lindemann and his wife Amalia Dayan opened their own competing venture: South Etna.

Levai caused quite a stir when he began advertising that The Ranch was located on Warhol’s former land.

He was confronted by Vincent Fremont, Warhol’s former studio manager, and Levai soon apologized and issued the pertinent corrections, according to ArtNet.

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

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

Juliano-Villani said she came up with the idea of ​​an Easter egg hunt on the grounds, with the winner taking home one of her paintings — Running of the Bulls — worth an estimated $150,000.

During the search, which ultimately lasted seven hours, an overenthusiastic participant ventured into Lindemann’s neighboring property after breaking through a fence.

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

He will appear in court this month to hear the claims.

In July this year, 10 months after the damage to the fence, things escalated even further.

Levai had been doing a private viewing at The Ranch when Lindemann showed up unannounced.

The pair got into a heated argument before Lindemann allegedly shoved Levai with both hands while taunting him with “What are you going to do about it, fat boy?” according to the exhaust.

The police were called and the offender was charged with felony misdemeanor misdemeanor and harassment with his court appearance scheduled for August 16.

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

But it seems he’s now offering Warhol’s former estate as one short-term sublease at a cost of $350,000.

DailyMail.com has contacted Levai and Lindemann for comment.