"April Marathon"

In Brief

• Teacher Secretly Sold His Students’ Art on Mugs and Shirts

  Parents of a dozen students at a junior high school near Montreal, Canada have filed a lawsuit after finding thousands of items displaying student works, such as mugs, cushions, bags, and apparel, for sale online. In January, art teacher Mario Perron assigned students to draw a classmate or self-portrait in the style of Basquiat. On February 8th, a student showed his parent items for sale on Fine Art America, an online art marketplace, which displayed the works submitted by students and listed Mr. Perron as the artist. The parents sued Mr. Perron and the school board under the Canadian Copyright Act and are seeking 2.16 million Canadian dollars in damages. Read more here. (HJ)

• Iconic Installation by Mary Miss in Des Moines Is Temporarily Saved From Demolition

  Parents of a dozen students at a junior high school near Montreal, Canada have filed a lawsuit after finding thousands of items displaying student works, such as mugs, cushions, bags, and apparel, for sale online. In January, art teacher Mario Perron assigned students to draw a classmate or self-portrait in the style of Basquiat. On February 8th, a student showed his parent items for sale on Fine Art America, an online art marketplace, which displayed the works submitted by students and listed Mr. Perron as the artist. The parents sued Mr. Perron and the school board under the Canadian Copyright Act and are seeking 2.16 million Canadian dollars in damages. Read more here. (HJ)

• Artwork about Anti-Asian Discrimination Stolen From NYC Art Nonprofit

  A textile piece by Julia Kwon was stolen off the walls of the UrbanGlass Art Center in Brooklyn, New York in January 2024. The stolen work was entitled AAPI Hate Affects AAPI Mental Health (71.7% of the respondents who experienced hate incidents during the pandemic report anti-Asian discrimination to be their greatest source of stress, much higher than any other pandemic concerns) (2021). Kwon represented this statistic with a variety of multicolored silk rectangles stitched together to create a bojagi, a traditional Korean wrapping cloth. Security camera footage shows the thief coming into the gallery, taking the piece off the wall, shoving it in their pocket, and leaving the gallery. UrbanGlass curator Alpesh Patel said that the theft “feels like an act of hate upon a work dealing with hate.” Read more here. (HJ)

• One Year & A Copyright Infringement Allegation Later, Digital Art Basel Shuts Down

  NFT website digitalbasel.io has been shut down after Art Basel accused the company of copyright infringement. Digital Basel claimed to sell NFT versions of artwork that usually participated in Art Basel fairs. The images used were often not for sale or even listed on Art Basel’s gallery website, but according to Digital Basel galleries would pay to have their art posted through their website. Meanwhile, multiple galleries have denied having a connection with Digital Basel. In March of 2023, Art Basle issued a cease-and-desist letter to Digital Basel in order to protect the gallery’s reputation and its artists’ rights. Read more here. (EJS)

• Ruben Masterpieces Remain at the Courtauld Institute in London

  Three paintings by Peter Paul Rubens will remain in the collection of the Courtauld Institute in London, according to the UK’s Spoliation Advisory Panel. The paintings once belonged to a German banker, Franz Wilhelm Koenigs, until the bank liquidated its assets to Dutch bank N.V. Bankierskantoor Lisser & Rosenkranz. The paintings were then sold to Count Antoine Seilern, who gave them to the Courtauld. However, the bank’s shareholders have claimed ownership over these paintings. The U.K. Panel has argued that Koenigs used the paintings to secure a loan and thus lost his right to the work when the bank went into liquidation. Read more here. (EJS)

• The Wizard of Oz’s Ruby Red Slippers Found Over the Rainbow

  In 2005, the Ruby Red Slippers from the Wizard of Oz were stolen from the Jury Garland Museum. Eighteen years later, Terry Jon Martin confessed to the crime, and now, Jerry Hal Saliterman has also been connected to the theft. Saliterman is charged with one count of theft of a major artwork and one count of witness tampering. The Ruby Red Slippers are valued at $3.5 million. Martin claims that he was instructed to steal the slippers by a mob associate and that he did not know of their cultural significance. Saliterman will reportedly plead not guilty. Read more here. (EJS)

• Installation 'Ladies Lounge' is for Ladies Only

  Artist Kircha Kaechele’s, newest installation Ladies Lounge at Tasmania’s Museum of Old and New Art has caused the museum to be sued for discrimination. At Ladies Lounge, viewers are waited on by a butler and look at priceless art, but only women are allowed to visit. Jason Lau, paid the hefty $500 price for a ticket but was turned away when he tried to see the installation. Jason Lau subsequently sued the museum for discrimination. At the hearing, Kaechele’s supporters arrived in similar styles with matching red lips, and throughout the hearing, they moved in complete synchronicity. Kaechele argues that Tasmania’s Anti-Discrimination Act has a provision “that allows programs that promote equal opportunity for disadvantaged groups” and cites the fact that women have historically been discriminated against. Furthermore, the artist argues that part of the experience of the installation “is being denied something that is desired.” The decision is pending, but it is expected to be released soon. Read more here. (EJS)

• Art Basel Hong Kong Returns Amid Political Tension

  Western media sources have voiced concerns about Hong Kong’s political situation and national security laws ahead of the return of Art Basel in Hong Kong. The city is hosting a number of art events in addition to Art Basel amid “Art March,” including Art Central and the Hong Kong Arts Festival, where taxpayers are footing the bill. The city’s West Kowloon Cultural District has found itself in economic trouble as a result of construction delays, cost surges and the Covid-19 pandemic. Concerns have increased about how the city will finance this mega arts hub among a huge projected fiscal deficit. Both citizens and international players are curious to see how this eventful art week unfolds. Read more here. (OZ)

• Officer of Inspector General Audit Questions Smithsonian’s Use of CARES Act Funds

  A recent Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) audit revealed issues in the Smithsonian Institution’s use of Covid-19 relief funds received under the 2020 CARES Act. The United States government administered $7.5 million to the Smithsonian for pandemic-related purposes like deep cleaning, security, and staff overtime pay. The OIG’s report stated that the Smithsonian did not consistently spend CARES Act funds in accordance with the policies, laws, and procedures. Specifically, there were nine transactions totaling $1.6 million that the institution failed to adequately justify. Following a few notable fraud and misuse cases by other agencies, this incident reiterates the importance of tracking and justifying pandemic relief funds. The Smithsonian management team classified  the purchases of items not related to the pandemic as “simple mistakes.” Read more here. (OZ)

• Over 4,000 Cultural Artifacts Have Been Repatriated to Peru from the US and Europe

  4,600 cultural assets, including textiles, ceramics, and clothing, have been repatriated to Peru from the United States and European countries such as Germany, Italy, and Switzerland. Peru’s Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Foreign Affairs worked with the consulates and embassies to return the objects to Peru. 4,556 of the 4,600 items returned came from a collection belonging to late American archaeologist John Rowe. Since 2019, Peru has recovered over 7,000 cultural heritage objects and has remained committed to combating the looting and trafficking of its cultural property. The cultural legacy of Peru is imperative for the country’s identity and the country sees preserving its heritage as important to strengthening sovereignty. Peru will continue seeking repatriation of Peruvian cultural items worldwide. Read more here. (OZ)

• Over 100 Suspected Stolen Paintings Seized in Paris

  This February, over 100 Russian avant-garde paintings were seized from a Parisian art laboratory by French court bailiffs. The paintings allegedly belong to​​ Uthman Khatib, a Palestinian businessman located in Israel. Khatib claims that these paintings, among over 800 more, were stolen in 2019 from a storage facility in Wiesbaden, Germany, a theft worth over €100 million. Pieces stolen from this collection have also been located in various European auction houses, and Khatib’s son, Castro Ben Leon Lawrence Jayyusi, promises that he will continue to search for the remaining paintings. Read more here. HEG

• GR2D Takes Copyright World by Storm

  The U.S. Copyright Office has proposed a change in rulemaking which will allow group copyright registration of up to ten two-dimensional artworks by the same artist, known as GR2D. If enacted, GR2D will allow an artist to register multiple pieces under one filing fee if they are published within the same thirty-day period. This change would significantly reduce costs for small artists hoping to file multiple pieces and possibly increase registrations. Public comments on this proposal were recently closed. Read the full proposal here. HEG

• Recent Report Reveals Pieces in the Met’s Collection Were Trafficked and Looted

  The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (“ICIJ”) has  reported that more than 1000 artifacts in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (“Met”) are linked to looting, trafficking, and lost heritage. Namely, an investigation of the Met’s antiquities collection raised red flags as to the origins of the ancient statues and relics. The ICIJ found that over 100 antiquities in the Met lack records back to a country of origin. Additionally, ICIJ found that, of a catalog of over 250 Nepali and Kashmiri artifacts, only three have origin records explaining how the pieces left the regions. This report reveals a key issue in the art market: transactions totaling millions of dollars may be made with insufficient due diligence by the museums or auction houses. A Met spokesperson said that the museum is in talks with Nepal’s government regarding objects in their collection, and looks forward to an open dialogue to reach a resolution. How the Met responds to these reports may influence how other museums proceed with these concerns going forward. Read more here. (OZ).

• Japanese Artifacts found in Attic

  A late World War II veteran’s family recently found looted Japanese art in his  attic. His children found scrolls, maps, and pottery,  all dated  from 18th-19th century Japan. According to CNN, a letter was found among the pieces that confirmed  that they had been looted. The family contacted the FBI after discovering the artifacts in their attic, and the objects were returned to Japan in early March. Read more here. (SN).

• Missing Mao

  Andy Warhol’s 1971 piece, Mao, was discovered to be missing from Orange Coast College, a California community college. The piece was given by an anonymous donor in 2020, but it was never put on display. Mao stayed in a vault in the college, which required  a key card and code to enter. The college began internal investigations in March, but has now reported the loss to the police. The silkscreen print is one of 199 prints of Mao Zedong created by Warhol between 1972 and 1973. Read more here. (SN)

• Gary Tatintsian Gallery and Andrey Isaev Settle Suit

  The legal dispute between the Gary Tatintsian Gallery and collector Andrey Isaev over the ownership and sale of two Stanley Whitney paintings has been settled. Isaev claimed that the gallery never delivered either painting to him, collectively  valued at a total of $5.25 million US dollars. Because of this, Isaev bought a lesser valued Whitney painting for $1.85 million, with the agreement that the gallery would pay him back the difference of $3.4 million between this work and the original two Whitney paintings he purchased. As of December 2022, Isaev alleged that the Gallery still owed him $2 million dollars, leading Isaev to file a complaint against the gallery for civil theft and fraud in the inducement, ] in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. The owner of the gallery, Gary Tatinstian, announced that the gallery will pay Isaev back the $2 million dollars owed, plus interest. Read more here.  (SN)

• Proposed CA Legislation to offer "morality and justice" in Nazi-era looted art cases

  California state legislators unveiled Assembly Bill 2867 on March 28, 2024 drawing inspiration from a recent court ruling in the Cassirer, et al v. Thyssen Bornemisza Collection Foundation case. This Ninth Circuit’s decision applied Spanish law rather than California law and allowed a museum in Spain to maintain possession of a Nazi-looted artwork. Therefore, the bill aims to help Holocaust victims by ensuring that California law, prioritizing morality and justice, prevails over foreign law in recovery cases of artwork and personal property lost due to persecution. Read more here. (AB)