According to the Norwegian newspaper VG, the letter was sent by MoMA officials to the Norwegian prime minister, Erna Solberg, and the minister for the environment, Sveinung Rotevatn. It is unclear who initiated the letter; MoMA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The alleged MoMA letter published in the Norwegian press states that “we are writing to express our grave concern regarding the approved demolition of the Y-block governmental building… the demolition of the building complex would not only constitute a significant loss of Norwegian architectural heritage, but it would also render any attempt to salvage or reposition Picasso’s site-specific murals elsewhere unfortunate.”

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Meanwhile, a recent petition demanding that Oslo’s Y-Block be preserved has garnered more than 47,000 signatures. “Just before the [terrorist] attack in 2011, both buildings were about to be granted protection by the Directorate of Cultural Heritage. Experts, inside and outside of Norway, agree on its immeasurable value and try to convince the government to stop the demolition plans. Without any success,” says the petition, which was launched by a local campaign group. The Norwegian government did not respond to a request for comment at the time of writing.