Lawsuits

Frida Kahlo Corporation files trademark suit against Amazon sellers

The company that owns the anti-capitalist artist's image is embroiled in yet another legal tussle over representation

Paris court finds billionaire dealer Guy Wildenstein guilty of tax fraud

He has received a four year prison sentence and been fined €1m for concealing from authorities a massive art collection to avoid paying inheritance tax

New filing in Frankenthaler Foundation lawsuit alleges 'pay-to-play' scheme

Frankenthaler's nephew has accused the foundation, which terminated his board position last spring, of "extensive self-dealing"

Richard Prince ordered to pay damages to photographers in copyright infringement lawsuits over Instagram portraits

The nearly decade-long dispute over Prince's "New Portraits" series has ended with the artist and his galleries ordered to pay the photographers $900,000

Performer sues MoMA for alleged ‘sexual groping’ during Marina Abramović retrospective

John Bonafede, one of the artists who “reperformed” Abramović’s work for the show, claims he was sexually assaulted seven times during its run

Orlando Museum of Art faces financial troubles in Basquiat fiasco’s aftermath

Since it was raided in 2022 by the FBI, which seized 25 purported Basquiat works, the museum’s legal and communications costs have surged while public and private support slowed

US court rules Nazi-looted Pissarro painting belongs to Spain

The decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals leaves the heirs of Lilly Cassirer with few options to pursue their restitution claim

Leaked: the names of more than 16,000 non-consenting artists allegedly used to train Midjourney’s AI

The lists were both partially included in a recent class-action lawsuit and accidentally shared via a public Google spreadsheet

Confederate Memorial coming down at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, DC

Now that a judge lifted a last-minute injunction, the monument will be gone by the end of the week

Art marketcomment

How an Oscar statuette row highlights issues around resale rights in the US

A Californian ruling blocking the resale of an Academy Award may bring clarity over transfer of ownership of living artists’ work

More than 200 works belonging to Lisa Schiff could be sold by Phillips to help repay former adviser's creditors

The auctions, which would happen across 2024 if a court approves the plan, could be followed by sales of around 900 additional works

University’s plan to fund dormitory renovations by selling art worth $10m, including O’Keeffe landscape painting, clears legal hurdle

Following a county judge’s ruling in favour of Valparaiso University, both sides are making their case to Indiana’s attorney general

Helen Frankenthaler Foundation rejects ‘frivolous’ lawsuit from artist’s nephew

Frederick Iseman is suing the foundation of which he was until recently board president, accusing it of practicing “grabstract expressionism”

Appeals court backs Miami Beach decision to remove mural of police shooting victim

Controversial action was previously ruled as an act of “government speech”

Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT creators awarded nearly $1.6m in trademark infringement lawsuit

A district court judge has ruled in favour of Yuga Labs, whose lawsuit against artists Ryder Ripps and James Cahen accused them of "cybersquatting"

Judge dismisses most of artists’ copyright lawsuit against AI image generators

The artists have indicated they will amend their complaints and continue the legal battle against what they say is unfair use of their work by artificial intelligence image generators

Cleveland Museum of Art sues the Manhattan District Attorney to retain ownership of $20m bronze statue

The museum had revised its own prior research in an apparent attempt to keep a headless sculpture believed to depict Marcus Aurelius

Collector Ron Perelman’s lawsuit against insurer over damaged art takes new turn

Court allows insurers to amend their argument, after arguing that the collector misrepresented his intention to sell “damaged” works, in $410m insurance claim

Hobby Lobby’s lawsuit against papyrus scholar changes venues

The company’s case against Oxford-based American papyrist Dirk D. Obbink revolves around ancient papyrus fragments it purchased for its Washington, DC institution, the Museum of the Bible

San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum sues architect and construction company behind new $38m pavilion

The museum says that Why Architects and Swinerton Builders “failed to meet even the minimum museum-quality standards”

Lawsuit over removal of mural honouring victim of police shooting returns to court

Judge previously ruled that taking the artwork down did not violate free speech rights

New building for Memphis Brooks Museum imperilled amid lawsuit over ownership of its riverfront plot

The legal case seeking to block the art museum's new $180m Herzog & de Meuron-designed building is ongoing

Former hospital president claims ‘unlawful’ dismissal over nude art event

The head of a New Jersey hospital was allegedly fired for ‘not intervening’ in a body painting display during a fundraising event

Gagosian notches victory in lawsuit brought by photographer over Richard Prince’s New Portraits series

The gallery will not have to pay Donald Graham for any “unrealised profits” related to Prince’s appropriation of the photographer’s work

Eye-opening filings in Lisa Schiff lawsuit reveal dozens of new claims and more than 100 missing works

The embattled art adviser is facing two lawsuits accusing her of running a "Ponzi scheme" and defrauding her clients

Second judge rules that Vermont Law School did not violate artist's rights in covering up problematic murals

The decision comes after the artist, Sam Kerson, appealed a district court’s 2021 ruling

Dealer Edward Tyler Nahem sues over ownership of $8.7m Calder mobile

A daughter of the former owner of the sculpture claims it was stolen from her dying mother; Nahem says she is stalking him and marring his reputation

Bored Ape Yacht Club collectors sue Sotheby’s over NFTs auction

The auction house’s 2021 sale helped lend legitimacy to the line of cartoon apes, the plaintiffs claim, and was “misleading promotion”

Chicago dealer Kavi Gupta denies withholding payments of more than $600,000 from artist Jeffrey Gibson

Chicago dealer Kavi Gupta denies withholding payments of more than $600,000 from artist Jeffrey Gibson, who will represent the US at the 2024 Venice Biennale