Support Hyperallergic’s independent arts journalism.
Artists’ book by Marina Abramović and Ulay (image via Wikipedia)
After almost a year of legal negotiations with Marina Abramović, Ulay will now receive payment and full accreditation for works he created with his former partner. As the Guardian first reported, a Dutch court ruled yesterday that Abramović had violated a contract the pair had signed in 1999 — following their dramatic split on the Great Wall of China — to manage their past collaborative efforts.
The document stipulates that their works must be jointly credited, but Ulay claimed that Abramović had not given him his due on many of them. His lawsuit, filed in November, also argued that Abramović had failed to provide accurate records of sales and paid him only four times in the nearly two decades since the two signed the contract.
Ulay, who recently staged his first New York performance in 30 years, will now receive full accreditation on the pair’s works made between 1976 and 1988. He is also entitled to back-date royalties equal to 20% of sale profits, which means that, on top of settling legal fees amounting to over €23,000 (~$25,600), Abramović must pay her ex-lover more than €250,000 (~$279,000). She (or perhaps some unpaid interns) will also have a lot of paperwork to do: the court has ordered her to provide a complete written record of all sales and all copies of any artworks made from 2007 onwards.
Abramović may have lost this major case, but at least she has the publication of her memoir to look forward to next month. Let’s just hope it’s been purged of any and all racist descriptions.
The Latest
A San Francisco Muralist Painting “Latino Culture In All Its Beauty”
Josué Rojas came from El Salvador as a toddler, and his family settled in the Mission.
The Historical Regatta Revives the Pomp and Pageantry of 15th-Century Venice
For a fleeting few hours, a procession of boats on the Grand Canal reenacted the full pomp and pageantry of 15th-century Venice.
Refract Spotlights Glass Artists in the Pacific Northwest
This annual festival celebrating creative uses of glass returns to Seattle this October with more than 60 local artists.
Can Mummified Cats Help Unravel the Mysteries of Ancient Dyes?
The intricate patterns and strategic colors of the linens used on mummified remains have only begun to be understood by humanists, museum specialists, and chemists working together.
Don’t Miss These Experimental Works at the New York Film Festival
With films touching on protest in France, China’s one-child policy, and Indigenous life in Canada, the 2021 Currents program stays both culturally and politically forward-thinking.
At Haverford College, an Exhibition Inspired by a 19th-century Uyghur Poem
In The Contest of the Fruits, the art collective Slavs and Tatars investigates language, politics, religion, humor, resilience, and resistance in a pluralistic world.
The Making of the Modern Latin American Metropolis
A new book explores the impact of rapid growth and industrialization on six major Latin American cities.
ulay, sad for you .. move on .. the bucks ain’t worth it
300 k? Yeah.. its worth it. It was his work as well and he deserves the money.
It’s not so much about the money as it is about the statement he’s making. Artists should be promptly paid and credited no matter how insignificant it may seem to his/her collaborator, the viewers, or the general public. I’m glad he won.
she has been ripping off collaborators for years….it is about time that her unlawful practice is being revealed , it is her due karma
Daymn, turn up Ulay!