Thread by @SCPatriotSC

Guess what restaurant/bar closed this weekend? 😉 #clublebaronnyc -> #juku

The timing is certainly interesting. One has to wonder - who are the partners- anyone having issues? Club Le Baron was "seized" / closed in 2015. Former owners had a difficult time getting their liquor license which delayed the club opening for almost 2 years. But not this time.

But here's the weird thing. A liquor license was issued AFTER Le Baron closed. To Bon LLC, dba Le Baron.

And then MJK Foods LLC was formed.

Then the renovations began.

Juku opened in November 2017.

Later, in 2018, Straylight, the basement bar was re-opened, after one of the partners, Max Levai, pulled in some artist friends to cultivate the space.

Max Lavai is the young heir to the Marlborough Gallery, Prior to taking over the business when his father, Pierre, fell ill, he was a bit of a wild card. Fully in with the fashion, art, club crowd he found his own controversies. He owned the Lower East Side club, "Happy Endings."

Max claims the "alleged rape" in his club was an attempt to discredit and extort him. Now who would want to do that?

Maybe those who held stake in the Marlborough Gallery? When Max's father left for Europe one summer, Levai pulled artist friends Justin Lowe (Rob Lowe's half brother) and Jonah Freeman from LA to do a major install against his father's advice. A very expensive installation.

That may have been the precursor to other issues the investors had with the idea of Max taking over as President of the gallery. In 2020, they made their move. Read these clips carefully and consider what relationships were forming during the 2013-2019 period.

Levai's apartment (3rd pic below)

Was he spending millions, enriching his friends? Or himself?

The Ranch. Purchased in 2020, Levai set up an artist's retreat in Montauk, on the adjacent property of a very notable art gallery owner, Adam Lindemann.

Lindemann once held the record for art sales for artists still living. Nice return on investment, don't you think?

If Jeff Koons sounds familiar, he should...

$100 MILLION for that chrome rabbit. Say that out loud and slowly...

Lindemann's family has had some issues over the last few years with "stolen" art as identified in the Pandora Papers.

Lindemann has also had some recent drama with his neighbor, Levai.

Fun little article... news.artnet.com/art-world/hamp…

So back to Le Baron / Juku. Both owned by those in the same art/fashion circles. Both close unexpectedly. And there's that little overlap of the Baron LLC liquor license. Don't forget the "friends" in common. I don't have all the answers, but there's definitely more to the story.

@threadreaderapp please unroll