A Dutch court has ordered performance artist Marina Abramović to pay her former collaborator Ulay (Ulay Laysiepen) over €250,000 ($280,500) for violating a 1999 contract regarding joint works created between 1976 and 1988. The court ruled that Ulay is entitled to 20 percent net royalties on sales of those works, plus €23,000 in legal costs. Ulay had accused Abramović of failing to provide accurate sales statements and making only four payments over 16 years. The case stems from their decade-long artistic and romantic partnership, which ended in 1988 with their famous walk on the Great Wall of China.
This ruling matters because it reasserts the legal and moral rights of collaborative artists, particularly when one partner becomes far more famous and commercially successful. The case highlights the fragility of joint authorship in the art world and the financial risks faced by lesser-known collaborators. It also adds a contentious legal chapter to one of performance art's most iconic relationships, following their emotional reunion during Abramović's 2010 MoMA performance "The Artist is Present." Ulay's victory may set a precedent for how royalties and credit are handled in long-term artistic partnerships.