Good Fences Make Good Neighbors? Not at Opus 40.

The scenic vistas of this landscape art and the legacy of its creator, Harvey Fite, are being challenged by a persistent feud and a big fence.

SAUGERTIES, N.Y. — The 6.5-acre bluestone labyrinth rising out of a quarry here is one of the marvels of the Hudson Valley, an artistic tour de force by a self-taught sculptor who spent more than half his life creating it with thousands of rocks, infinite patience and no cement. Opus 40, whose very name evokes the tenacity of its creator, Harvey Fite, is a monument to the upper bounds of hard work and dedication that took most of 37 years to build. But now, some say, this soul-soaring triumph has been tarnished by the ordinary: A chain-link fence, nearly 400 feet long, that wraps around one of its edges, spoils its beauty and is the product of a long smoldering dispute.