Cemetery Law: The Reburial of Mark Rothko?

Close on the heals of the New York Times' discussion of a conflict over Thomas Jefferson's grave, (which I discussed here) we have news of a dispute over the possible exhumation and reburial of Mark Rothko.

Kathryn Shattuck's article begins:

For 38 years the body of the artist Mark Rothko has rested in an unassuming cemetery on the North Fork of Long Island, a quiet reminder of both the Abstract Expressionist legacy and one of the harshest legal battles ever to rock the art world.

Now, in a potential addendum to the history books that threatens to resurrect bitter memories of the long fight over Rothko’s estate, the artist’s daughter and son have petitioned a New York State judge to clear the way to have their father’s remains disinterred and reburied in a Jewish cemetery in Westchester County.

Endnote: Rothko's 1952 No.10 is from the National Galley's website; the painting is in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.

Alfred Brophy