Ancestor of Louis XIV sues over pop art

A Palace of Versailles defence group and a descendant of the man who had it built, Louis XIV, are seeking an injunction against works by Japanese pop artist Takashi Murakami being shown there. “It’s about translating into judicial terms the debate and...

A Palace of Versailles defence group and a descendant of the man who had it built, Louis XIV, are seeking an injunction against works by Japanese pop artist Takashi Murakami being shown there.

“It’s about translating into judicial terms the debate and opposition that have been raised by exposing Murakami works,” Arnaud Upinsky, president of the Versailles Defence Coordination, said of the show that opened September 14.

The 48-year-old Japanese artist’s hugely popular work evokes the look of “manga” comic books, depicting often giant characters in multi-coloured metal, fibreglass and acrylic, currently set against the palace’s rococo splendour.

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