Beard stress keeps growing

The drama over acclaimed artist Peter Beard’s work continues. We reported that Beard’s wife, Nejma, has started tightening the reins on his valuable works, many of which he gave as gifts to New York and Hamptons friends, party pals and club and restaurant owners over the years. Now we’re told that Nejma kicked up a stink about Peter’s work hanging at Nello Balan’s Upper East Side restaurant, with a source saying, “Peter’s work is hanging in the restaurant and [Balan also] owns other works. She claims that Nello has copied these paintings and sold them to others. But if she had proof, wouldn’t she have sued him?” But Nello told us, “I respect Nejma. It’s more than normal that she’s trying to protect her husband’s interests. She wants to make sure Peter’s art is properly distributed. I have been Peter’s friend, and I have been showing his art for years on Madison Avenue. But I own my artwork. I bought the paintings 25 years ago.” Asked about Balan, Nejma said in a statement, “The Beard Studio will not tolerate the unauthorized copying of Peter’s work.”