Vita gazette: The Uffizi museum has sued the designer Jean Paul Gaultier, known as the “naughty and crazy child” of the fashion world, for unauthorized use of Sandro Botticelli’s Venus.

According to the Uffizi Museum, the illicit behaviour of which the Maison Jean Paul Gaultier was guilty, which used, without asking for permission, the image of the masterpiece kept in the Florentine museum to create some items of clothing, also advertising them on its own social and on its website.

In April the museum, having noticed the improper use of the image, sent the fashion house, which belongs to the Spanish group Puig, a letter of formal notice in which it was ordered the withdrawal from the market of the garments with the image of the Venus or, alternatively, to contact the museum as soon as possible to sign the commercial agreement. Since the letter of formal notice was ignored, legal action was launched, announced with a press release that immediately went around the world and which provides, in addition to the withdrawal of the “illegitimate” clothes, also a request for damages in favour of the museum.

The clothes of discord. Dresses, tank tops, trousers, jumpsuits and sweaters with the image of the famous Venus by Botticelli imprinted in full size are the highlight of the new collection by Jean Paul Gaultier by Olivier Rousteing but also the object of the millionaire cause that the Gallerie degli Uffizi in Florence has filed against the French fashion house. The reason? “Unauthorized use of Botticelli’s Venus”, an immortal masterpiece of Italian art. The designer has in fact used for some of his garments the image of the symbolic work of the Renaissance without asking for permission, agreeing on the methods of use or even having paid the fee. Moreover, the dresses in question, with the goddess of beauty portrayed in her shell, were advertised both on social media and on their website.

The requests made by the Uffizi are based on the Code of Cultural Heritage, according to which the use of images of Italian public property is compulsorily subject to specific authorization and the payment of a fee.

The lawsuit brought against Jean Paul Gaultier is not unique. Already in 2017 another fashion house, the Florentine Brioni, had ended up in court for a similar story: then the advertising campaign launched by the brand that had dressed a copy of the David, owned by the Cave Michelangelo, was in the sights tuxedo. In that case, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage intervened directly, obtaining an order from the Court of Florence for the protection of the image of the work of art.