The Uffizi Gallery Sues Jean Paul Gaultier for Use of “The Birth of Venus”

The French fashion house Jean Paul Gaultier is under the limelight after the Uffizi museum in Florence announces it will be suing due to “unauthorized use” of Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus”, its Italian Renaissance masterpiece.

Known for housing the greatest works of the Renaissance, such as Leonardo da Vinci to Michelangelo, they claim that Gaultier used the image of Venus “on several garments, photos of which it published on its website and social networks”.  The 1480s originated “The Birth of Venus” demonstrates the beloved goddess standing on a scallop shell unclothed with only her blonde hair covering her intimate regions. 

Gaultier, known for his clever images, appears to use the art of Botticelli in several instances, one being on a “model wearing a pair of trousers with part of the Venus painting printed on the rear.” The museum demands all products and images be removed from the fashion house’s social networks and online shops considering permission was not asked or granted nor were rights paid. While a letter was sent to Jean Paul Gaultier fashion house, the museum claims it was ignored. 

While many museums, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, have made  art pieces available to the public domain, the Uffizi museum continues to preserve its historic pieces. 

– Esther Marcos