(Newser)
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Actor Ryan O'Neal has been sued for hanging on to an Andy Warhol portrait of Farrah Fawcett that a university charges was bequeathed to the institution. University of Texas officials say they spotted the Warhol hanging over O'Neal's bed during a reality TV show featuring the actor. The painting was left to the Austin campus by the late actress, who attended the school in the '60s, the suit charges. "The enduring value and public interest in the Warhol portraits is a testament not only to Mr. Warhol's talent and artistry, but also to Ms. Fawcett's status as a cultural icon," the university said in legal papers.
The suit is demanding that O'Neal obtain insurance to protect the portrait as the case is decided in court. O'Neal's representatives argue that Warhol painted two portraits of his long-time lover, and that the one O'Neal has is not the portrait left to the University of Texas, reports the BBC. "Mr. O'Neal looks forward to being completely vindicated in the courts," said his spokesman, who added that the suit is "completely ridiculous."
