Two New York art galleries run by dueling brothers are locked in a legal battle over the use of the name "Aicon." Projjal Dutta, representing Aicon Contemporary, filed a lawsuit in New York Supreme Court in October against his brother Prajit Dutta and director Harry Hutchison, who run Aicon Art and ArtsIndia.com. The suit alleges that the defendants have misleadingly used the names "Aicon Gallery" or simply "Aicon" instead of the agreed-upon "Aicon Art," causing confusion in the art market. The brothers previously operated the legacy Aicon Gallery together for 20 years before parting ways in 2019, but they still share the same address and phone number at 35 Great Jones Street.
This case matters because it highlights the high stakes of brand identity and trademark disputes in the art world, where a gallery's name carries significant reputational and commercial value. Both galleries participate in major international art fairs—Aicon Contemporary shows at the Armory Show, Expo Chicago, and Zona Maco, while Aicon Art is exhibiting at Art Basel Miami Beach—and represent prominent artists such as M. F. Husain, Salman Toor, and Rasheed Araeen. The outcome could set a precedent for how gallery names are protected and contested, especially when family businesses fracture and former partners compete in the same market.