Art and justice...

Louis Vuitton put on notice for using paintings without agreement!

Yes, you heard right, Louis Vuitton has been served with a formal notice for using Joan Michell's paintings without permission. On Tuesday 21 February, the Joan Mitchell Foundation sent a letter of formal notice to the luxury brand Louis Vuitton. The luxury brand is alleged to have used three paintings by the famous artist Joann Mitchell in advertisements without permission. The works in question were part of a series in which actress Léa Seydoux posed with the brand's handbags, worth a total of $10,500, standing or reclining nonchalantly on a bench in front of famous paintings, such as Monet's Water Lilies from the Musée de l'Orangerie and paintings by American expressionist Joan Mitchell, who is currently exhibited alongside Monet at the Louis Vuitton Foundation.

Christa Blatchford, executive director of the Joan Mitchell Foundation, told the American art magazine ArtNews that Louis Vuitton had approached the institution several times since last December to ask permission to use several of the artist's works in advertisements. Bernard Arnault, CEO of the luxury group LVMH, which owns Louis Vuitton, is said to have even offered a donation in exchange. These requests were reportedly repeatedly declined, due to the policy of using Joan Mitchell's works as little as possible for commercial purposes, and instead making them available free of charge to schools or museums. The director expressed shock that Louis Vuitton had not taken these refusals into account.

Image source: CAROLINE PAUX / HANS LUCAS / AFP