Italy’s Uffizi Galleries are suing the French fashion house Jean Paul Gaultier for damages that could exceed €100,000 (£88,000) after the company’s allegedly unauthorised use of images of Botticelli’s Renaissance masterpiece The Birth of Venus to adorn a range of clothing products, including T-shirts, leggings and bodices.
The matter came to light earlier this year after the Uffizi in Florence was notified of the garments being advertised by Jean Paul Gaultier on its website and social media.
The painting by Sandro Botticelli is the centrepiece of the Botticelli Rooms at the world-famous galleries and, according to Italian law, any use of the country’s publicly owned art to sell merchandise requires permission and payment of a fee.
Eike Schmidt, the director of the Uffizi Galleries, said a letter sent to the fashion house in April demanding it take the clothing items off the market, or agree a payment, was ignored.
“Fashion designers regularly use our images and most are familiar with Italian law, which says that any use of publicly owned art needs to be authorised and paid for,” Schmidt said. “How much depends on the volume of sales, price the items are sold for etc.”
Fees can range anywhere between a few thousand or tens of thousands of euros, depending also on how many garments the image appears on.
Gaultier seems to have used The Birth of Venus, which depicts the goddess of love and beauty covering her loins with her long blonde hair, on an entire range of clothes, meaning the company might have to pay compensation that “goes beyond €100,000”.
“We’re not talking about millions,” added Schmidt. “What’s unusual here is that they didn’t respond at all [to the letter].”
Jean Paul Gaultier has been contacted for comment.
The Uffizi uses special software to monitor whether its artworks are being used to sell products online, and is often kept informed by sharp-eyed followers on social media.
Screenshots of the Botticelli range on display on Jean Paul Gaultier’s Instagram account included a Venus dress selling for €590, a €150 Venus scarf and a pair of stretch trousers with the buttocks area featuring the painting’s god of Zephyr, who is blowing in the wind.
The Uffizi itself uses its artworks to sell merchandise in its shop, including a sleeping mask decorated with the eyes of Venus and a bag featuring an image of Caravaggio’s Medusa.
“Everything sold in the Uffizi shop is of course authorised and for every item sold we receive a certain percentage,” said Schmidt. “We do sometimes see street sellers using the art on ‘do it yourself’ products, and the quality is never any good. Do you need to wear a T-shirt with Botticelli on it? Some people like to and it’s not about interfering with anyone’s creativity – Botticelli art is used regularly but generally companies ask permission.”
• This article was amended on 11 October 2022. It was Caravaggio who painted the Medusa that is at the Uffizi Galleries, not “Michelangelo” as an earlier version said.
