Vasari Art Codex

article news schedule Sep 25, 2025 visibility 3 link 2 artists, 2 galleries

french artist invader lawsuit julien auctions street art 1234753692

French artist Invader, whose real name is Franck Slama, sued the parent company of Julien Auctions for copyright infringement, theft, and violations of the Visual Artists Rights Act. The lawsuit claims 15 of his original mosaic artworks were stolen from their installation sites worldwide—including Tokyo, Paris, and other French locations—damaged or distorted, and then offered in the auction house's "Street Art: Paint & Pavement" sale on September 25. Invader demanded the works be removed, and a U.S. District Court in California granted a restraining order halting the auction of those pieces. The auction house's co-founder Martin Nolan defended the sale, arguing that street art created in public spaces transfers ownership to those who lawfully acquire it.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article culture schedule May 1, 2026 visibility 4 link 1 artist

What Artists Sign Away

Artist and writer Sarah Hotchkiss recounts two personal experiences where galleries and residency programs used standard contracts to limit artists' rights. In the first, a new gallery refused to shorten a six-month consignment period after an exhibition, leaving her work in "contractual limbo" where she would owe the gallery half of any sale even if she found the buyer herself. In the second, a residency required her to waive moral rights under the Visual Artists Rights Act, protections that allow artists to prevent distortion and control attribution of their work.

newspaper Hyperallergic open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Jan 26, 2026 visibility 4

south carolina artist wins 158k copyright infringement case mural 1234770761

A federal judge in South Carolina awarded artist Todd Atkinson $158,400 in a copyright infringement case against artist Chan Shepherd and the building owner, Justin L. McFalls. Atkinson painted a mural of a train and water tank on a building in Clover, S.C., in 1982, and registered its copyright in 2023. After McFalls purchased the building, he hired Shepherd to paint a similar version over the original, removing Atkinson’s signature and adding Shepherd’s own. The court found violations of the Visual Artists Rights Act (VARA), awarding $150,000 in statutory damages and $8,400 in actual damages.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original