Gallery sues designer Jean-Paul Gaultier for using Botticelli's work

The Uffizi Gallery in Florence sued fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier for reproducing Botticelli's painting in a new capsule collection without permission, reports The Guardian.

The image at the center of the dispute is Botticelli's famous opus "Birth of Venus," which is in the Florentine museum's permanent collection. The copyright is also controlled by the museum. In April 2022, the designer's brand launched its "Le Musée" collection, which features a number of pieces with printed Renaissance paintings.

The museum is suing the French brand for the "unauthorized" commercial use of Botticelli's image, which it claims violates the legal standard specified in the Italian Cultural Heritage Code.

Although the painting, created by the Renaissance artist in the 1480s, is in the public domain, the Italian legal code stipulates that the use of images belonging to the country's public cultural heritage requires a license fee and permission for commercial use.

The collection also uses images taken from Peter Paul Rubens' Three Graces, which is in the Prado Museum collection, and Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam in the Sistine Chapel.

Items from the collection depicting the painting have been removed from the designer's website, but are still available in some online clothing stores.