Art dealer and artist Tony Shafrazi publicly went “ballistic” on Barbara Gladstone Gallery director Max Falkenstein at nightclub LIV in Miami over the estate of Keith Haring, multiple sources told Page Six. A spy said the trouble began when Falkenstein entered the club, where art insiders were partying, and, “When Max sat down, Tony said some very rude things, which Max ignored.” The comments were apparently over the estate of Haring, the 1980s artist Shafrazi once repped, but whose estate chose Gladstone to represent his work. When Falkenstein asked Shafrazi, “What are you talking about?” a source said an altercation that many described as involving “shoving” ensued. But another source insisted, “There was never any physical contact. Tony threatened Max and tried to make things physical. He was screaming at Max. People started telling Tony to calm down, which only made him go more ballistic. He wanted to make things physical, so Max left.” Venerable Shafrazi is known for some wild antics: Page Six reported that in August he publicly “cursed out” Owen Wilson and Peter Brant. He also once vandalized a Picasso hanging in MoMA. A source said a Shafrazi gallery staffer later apologized to Falkenstein, adding, “Tony is known as a wild man.” Said a source of the squabble at LIV, “It was ludicrous. . . . The estate was awarded to Gladstone, and the gallery’s reputation has been immaculate.” Shafrazi met Haring when he was an art student, and Haring worked for him as an art installer before developing as an artist. Shafrazi did not respond to e-mails and calls last night. Gladstone had also worked with Haring in the ’80s.
Dealer goes ‘ballistic’ at Art Basel
