Les procès de l’art

In these times of generalized permissiveness, can an artist paint, draw or sculpt whatever he well pleases? Not at all, as this book clearly proves. While morality is no longer defended as strongly, other faults that were rarely criticized have become a gold mine for litigations: the offence against copyright, the defense of racism, of anti-Semitism, of pedophiles, the promotion of hatred, of suicide or to use drugs. Through a series of examples with comments, which show buyers who have been ripped off, Catholic associations or heirs in conflict, we can measure the variety of sources of litigation and their evolution through time. A Whistler painted in 1893 and which was never delivered, a so-called portrait of Sarah Bernhardt by an unknown master, a refrigerator decorated by Bernard Buffet, a work by Magritte and a record cover of the Rolling Stones: each case can be seen as a mini-mystery.

• Les procès de l’art, par Céline Delavaux et Marie-Hélène Vignes, Palette…, 2013, 352 p., €29.90.