THE Mary Boone the famous New York art collector and dealer who was sentenced to prison for tax fraud is the subject of a new song by Vampire Weekend.

The song “Mary Boone» does not praise her eponymous gallery, which has boosted the profiles of artists such as Barbara Kruger and Ai wei wei but it is an elegy for a bygone era in New York.

The song, released last week, refers only abstractly to Boone’s business and the subsequent scandal surrounding her personal financial affairs, using her name mostly as part of a rhyming scheme.

Boone established her gallery in 1977 and over the next few years became one of the top dealers in SoHo’s thriving art scene. Organized exhibitions with works of Jean Michel-Basquiat, Ross Bleckner and many others.

In 2019, Boone’s reputation changed forever when she was convicted of tax evasion. A court sentenced her to 30 months in prison, although she ended up serving only 13 because she was released in early 2020 amid a rise in Covid cases among inmates.

The leader of Vampire Weekend, Ezra Canning recounts a scene in which a new town resident seeks employment at Mary Boone, and later expands on the themes of lost love and change.

‘Mary Boone’ featuring a sample of Soul II Soul’s ‘Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)’ is from ‘Only God Was Above Us’, the rock band’s new album and their first since 2019.