Wife's 'frame job' on fotog
Psych-ward revenge vs. Beard: suit
She didn’t just get mad at her cheating hubby, she got even.
The wife of renowned photographer Peter Beard was so furious about him bringing a pair of Russian hookers to their Midtown home that she got him thrown in a psych ward by telling cops he was suicidal, a court filing alleges.
Peter Beard, now 78, stumbled into his family’s West 57th Street apartment at around 6 a.m. with the prostitutes after a night partying at the Meatpacking District hot spot Provocateur in 2013, according to depositions by his friends and family members.
The lensman, known for his African wildlife shots and his friendship with Andy Warhol, passed out, but one of the women refused to leave, his wife, Nejma Beard, testified.
The ruckus awoke their daughter and Nejma Beard, 60, according to court papers, which said the mother and daughter hustled the hooker out of the door.
“When [Peter Beard] woke up, Nejma Beard was standing over him and screaming, ‘Call 911, he’s attempting suicide,’ ” Eva Bastianon, an artist acquaintance of the couple, said in a deposition.
Peter Beard said he was then whisked to Mount Sinai West hospital, formerly Roosevelt.
“The next thing you know, I was not allowed to leave the hospital, but it was not for any reason,” he testified.
The bizarre marital drama surfaced in an ongoing Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit that Peter Beard filed against a wealthy California collector named Bernie Chase.
Beard sued Chase in 2015 to get back three of his photos that the collector claimed to have paid $100,000 for via an assistant to the photographer.
Beard claims he was sick and unable to make the handshake deal.
Chase’s attorney, Larry Hutcher, said the alleged incident with the hookers is relevant to the case.
“All of those past events that took place regarding when he was hospitalized we believe are absolutely relevant to his credibility and should be fully explored,” Hutcher said.
Another suit — filed by one of Peter Beard’s models and recently settled — claimed Nejma Beard kept her husband on a tight financial leash and made him sleep on the marble floor of their apartment at The Osborne.
She told The Post Monday, “I am working now and do not want to be disturbed.”
Peter Beard’s attorney did not return messages.
The parties are due in court at the end of the month.