A dispute has emerged between the American artist foundation connected to Joan Mitchell and the luxury house Louis Vuitton over the use of Mitchell’s artwork in a recent ad campaign. The case centers on whether Vuitton had the right to feature images associated with Mitchell within promotional materials for a new line, a question that touches on the protections around posthumous rights and the control that foundations hold over an artist’s estate.
The campaign in question featured actress Léa Seydoux alongside a Capucines bag. The photo shoot took place at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, a site that also hosts rotating exhibitions, including works connected to La Grande Vallée XIV (For a Short Time), Quatuor II for Betsy Jolas, and Edrita Fried. The setting provided a distinctive backdrop that aligned with Vuitton’s branding while drawing on a sense of cultural prestige associated with the Fondation Louis Vuitton.
According to the artist’s foundation, efforts to secure permission for the use of Mitchell’s work were made toward the end of 2022. Those conversations reportedly concluded with a denial of permission, with the foundation clarifying that licenses to use the artist’s imagery could be granted only when the project served educational purposes. This stance underscores how foundations steward the rights to a creator’s legacy and the conditions under which those rights may be exercised by others in commercial contexts.
In another note on copyright matters, the legal landscape around performances and broadcast rights continues to evolve. A separate, notable case involved the daughters of Soviet director Vasily Shukshin, Olga and Ekaterina Shukshina, who pursued a copyright infringement matter related to a stage production performed by the Russian Song Theater. Their lawsuit concerned the exclusive rights to perform the play “Kalina Krasnaya,” illustrating how the protection of artistic performances can intersect with family-held rights and institutional oversight, sometimes leading to a court ruling in favor of the plaintiffs. These examples collectively highlight the ongoing tension between artistic control and commercial use across different domains, from visual art to performance and theater.