Galleries
Shameless Studio Owners Sell Artist’s Paint-Covered Carpet as Artwork
Henri Neuendorf
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Angelique Hartigan was alerted that her filthy carpets were being sold as original art.
Photo: Facebook via the Telegraph
A London artist was incredulous when she learned that members of a cooperative from which she had rented studio space attempted to sell her paint-splattered carpets as original work.
Angelique Hartigan was shocked when a friend told her that she spotted her old carpets for sale at the Gypsy Hill workshop in Crystal Palace, south London.
The painter worked at the space until May, when she opened her own art gallery in Malden, Essex.
“I paint on the floor and I use drips and spill and throw the paint and I’m well known in south London as an artist,” Hartigan told the Telegraph.
Hartigan says the gallery had no right to sell her carpet as an artwork.
Photo: eloisemoorehead.com
“There was some kind of yard sale at the Gypsy Hill studio after I left, and some people I knew saw it and said ‘what’s this and why has Angelique made this?’ They didn’t know what was going on because my name was on it.”
She added, “I sent an email immediately to say ‘what are you dong? You didn’t ask me, stop doing this’ and ‘write to the people you have sold them to and find out where they are. I want all these pieces back because I don’t want them out there.’”
Although the gallery has vehemently denied the allegations, Hartigan is reportedly seeking legal advice.
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