Latest news with #arttheft
The Verge
14 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- The Verge
Pokémon TCG Pocket will change card art after plagiarism accusations
While you can now start collecting Pokémon TCG Pocket's Johto-themed Wisdom of Sea and Sky expansion, two of the set's rarest cards are being changed in response to concerns about art theft. Soon after dataminers began posting images of Wisdom of Sea and Sky's cards on Tuesday, Chinese artist lanjiujiu took to their X account with questions about Pokémon TCG Pocket using illustrations that seemed to have been traced from their own work. In particular, lanjiujiu pointed to Wisdom of Sea and Sky's immersive Ho-Oh card drawn by Sie Nanahara, a Japanese illustrator who has previously produced a number of art pieces for The Pokémon Company. Pokémon TCG Pocket's original immersive Ho-Oh card bore a number of visual similarities to a piece of art lanjiujiu was commissioned to illustrate in 2021. lanjiujiu did not specify who originally commissioned them, but their art clearly served as the reference for a resin statue sold by PC House Studio, a company that makes unlicensed collectibles. As Polygon notes, The Pokémon Company has made clear that, when fans distribute art featuring any of the company's copyrighted intellectual property, they are agreeing to 'a royalty-free, non-exclusive, irrevocable, transferable, sub-licensable, worldwide license' that gives it the right to 'use, transmit, copy, modify, and display Fan Art (and its derivatives) for any purpose.' Legally speaking, that means TPC would have been in the clear to keep the immersive Ho-Oh as-is. But last night, the company announced that it now plans to update the card as well as Wisdom of Sea and Sky's immersive Lugia, which also featured the Ho-Oh art as part of a short animation. 'We are also conducting a broader investigation to ensure no similar issues exist elsewhere in the game,' TPC said in a statement posted to X. 'To all our players who have been looking forward to this expansion, and to the talented illustrators who bring the Pokémon world to life, we deeply apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. We take this matter very seriously and are committed to strengthening our quality control processes to prevent this from happening again.' The Pokémon TCG Pocket situation is the latest instance of a popular mobile card game getting in hot water for using fan art without contacting the original artist. Earlier this year, Marvel Snap faced similar accusations on two separate occasions — once regarding a pixel variant M'Baku card that resembled an illustration by fan artist Jason Kiantoro, and another involving a card of the Ancient One that borrowed visual elements from Kamen Rider Wizard. In the latter instance, Marvel Snap simply changed a few details rather than releasing an entirely new card. It's not clear when Pokémon TCG Pocket will update Wisdom of Sea and Sky's immersive cards, but if you happen to pull them now, you'll be greeted with a box that says 'new art coming soon.' Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All by Charles Pulliam-Moore Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Gaming Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All News Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Nintendo Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Pokemon
RNZ News
3 days ago
- RNZ News
Six-metre sculpture disappears from artist's West Auckland studio
Chris Moore's stolen sculpture which is part of his 'Introduced Species' series. Photo: CHRIS MOORE An Auckland artist who's huge galvanised steel sculpture was allegedly stolen last week believes it was targeted by thieves who thought it was more valuable than it is. The near six-metre sculpture went missing from an artist's studio in Oratia, West Auckland early on Friday morning. Artist Chris Moore said the sculpture, created as part of his 'Introduced Species' series, would have cost him more than $50,000 in time, materials and labour, but is likely to be worth less than $50 as scrap metal. He told Morning Report he was stunned to learn the sculpture had been taken. He said his neighbour had spotted the thieves early that morning, and tried chase after them as they fled the scene. "It's just bizarre," Moore said. "It's just something I never in a million years thought would have happened." The sculpture, a large plant, was the last piece in a series inspired by the idea of early settlers introducing different species to New Zealand, and the impact this had. "I'd love to get it back," he said. "I made it throughout the year, but I estimate it'd be just around two months to make it." The thieves targeted the statue believing it to be made of valuable bronze, Moore believed. "Even though it's just steel, it was painted and it resembled copper or bronze, the same as rest from the same series," he said. "I think that they must've just thought that it was bronze, because then it's easy for them to melt down, and it can't really be traced, and then they're able to sell it to scrap dealers." Bronze was worth a lot more than steel, Moore said. "I'm kind of hoping they realise before they cut it all to pieces and, maybe, try and dump it." Police said there had been no arrests and the investigation was ongoing. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
The Guardian
21-07-2025
- The Guardian
Norfolk woman hands over 16th-century painting identified as stolen 50 years ago
A 16th-century Madonna and Child painting that ended up with a woman in Norfolk after it was stolen from a museum in Italy half a century ago is to be returned to its rightful owner. After years of soul-searching, and persuading by an art lawyer who was acting pro bono, Barbara de Dozsa decided to hand it over to the Civic Museum of Belluno, which last saw the painting in 1973. As the Guardian reported in March, she had refused to return the artwork, even though it is on the most-wanted lists of various police forces, including Interpol and the Italian Carabinieri. She had argued ownership, partly because her former husband, the late Baron de Dozsa, bought it in good faith in 1973, soon after the robbery. Until their divorce, it was in their 16th-century Norfolk home, East Barsham manor near Fakenham, described by Henry VIII as his 'small country palace'. It was painted by the Italian artist, Antonio Solario, known as Lo Zingaro (the Gypsy), some of whose other paintings are in the National Gallery in London. Acquired by Belluno in 1872, it was among several works that were stolen a century later. Some were recovered soon afterwards in Austria, where De Dozsa's husband bought the Solario painting from an unnamed source. Its whereabouts was unknown until 2017, when De Dozsa tried to sell it through a regional auction house, and it was spotted by someone linked to the Belluno museum. The painting was handed back to De Dozsa in 2020 as delays caused by the Covid lockdown led to the Italian authorities being unable to supply relevant documents requested by the British police. Over the years, Christopher Marinello, a leading specialist art lawyer, had tried repeatedly to persuade her to do 'the right thing' and return it to Belluno. He handled the recovery negotiations on a pro-bono basis because he wanted to help the town in the Veneto region of northern Italy, from where his family originated. De Dozsa initially cited the UK Limitations Act of 1980, which states that a person who buys stolen goods can be recognised as the legal owner if the purchase was unconnected to the theft after more than six years. Marinello dismissed that argument as 'nonsense'. He said: 'While the UK Limitations Act certainly supported her position, the fact that the painting was listed on the Interpol and Carabinieri stolen art databases, meant that the painting could never be sold, exhibited or even transported without the risk of being seized.' He is the founder of Art Recovery International, which focuses on stolen or looted art and is based in London, Venice and New York. His previous recoveries include a Matisse painting that was stolen in 1987 from Stockholm's Museum of Modern Art and had disappeared without trace for 25 years until it surfaced in London. De Dozsa eventually agreed to release the painting unconditionally to Belluno. Marinello said: 'She has restored my faith in humanity when so many possessors today of stolen artwork try to hold on to it. Despite the rights of the victim, people have no sympathy any more and she has proven otherwise.' He joked: 'When it comes to returning stolen art and doing the right thing, I can be annoyingly persistent. But ultimately, it was Barbara de Dozsa's decision to make, and she chose wisely.' He paid tribute to Arte Generali, the art insurance company that made the recovery possible with a donation to cover the logistical costs, although it was unconnected with this case. 'Without their support, this recovery would never have happened,' Marinello said. Another Madonna and Child, by the 19th-century Italian artist Placido Fabris, is among other stolen paintings missing from Belluno. They are listed on the Carabinieri stolen art database. Marinello is calling for the public to contact him if they spot any of them in private or public collections: 'The Solario made it to the UK, why not these?' Oscar De Pellegrin, the mayor of Belluno, said: 'Returning this painting to the city means giving back a fragment of its identity, its history and its soul.' De Dozsa declined to comment.
New York Times
18-07-2025
- New York Times
The Familiar Fingerprints of a Forgotten Art Heist
When Lou Schachter visited the University of Arizona Museum of Art in 2014, he appreciated the flowers by Georgia O'Keeffe, the cityscapes from Edward Hopper and the signature splatter of Jackson Pollock. But he was most intrigued by the empty frame on one of the gallery walls. A small plaque nearby explained that in 1985, someone had cut Willem de Kooning's 'Woman-Ochre' from the frame and made off with it. No one had seen the painting since. Schachter, a corporate consultant with a homespun interest in unsolved mysteries, was fascinated by the story of one person distracting security while another took the abstract oil painting of a nude woman. He loved to write and took notes with the intention of digging into the theft someday. The de Kooning turned up before he got around to it. In 2017, it was discovered hanging behind the bedroom door of Jerome and Rita Alter, retired public schoolteachers who had died. Valued at $400,000 when it was stolen, the painting is now considered worth more than $100 million. After the painting's long restoration process, Schachter got back in his car and drove hundreds of miles from Palm Springs, Calif., to Tucson, Ariz., to see 'Woman-Ochre' where the empty frame had once been. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Daily Mail
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Damien Hirst is accused of 'stealing' the idea of using live flies in his work from fellow artist he went to college with in the 90s
Damien Hirst has been accused of stealing the idea of using live flies in his work from a fellow artist he went to college with in the 90s. Hamad Butt made Fly-Piece, an artwork featuring live flies, which was considered among the 'earliest works of bio-art in the UK' when it was shown at his degree show in June 1990, The Times first reported. Just a month later Hirst, who was at the time an unknown artist who had also studied at Goldsmiths, University of London, released A Thousand Years, which showcased an army of flies feasting on a cow's head. Renowned collector Charles Saatchi was reportedly amazed by the exhibition and decided to purchase Hirst's A Thousand Years. The famous artist then spent years producing bio-art including his Natural History series, as well as The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living. Meanwhile, Butt tragically died in 1994 aged just 32 after contracting Aids. While Hirst has been accused of copying Butt's idea before, a new London exhibition of the late artist's work has brought the claims back to the surface. In a catalogue for the exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery, curator Dominic Johnson penned that Hirst's A Thousand Years 'appears to have directly appropriated from Butt'. He added: 'Friends and family recall Butt felt this was the case and that he was unhappy when Hirst's sculpture received greater acclaim.' Mr Johnson claimed Hirst 'likely encountered Butt's piece first-hand in its development', with their time as students at Goldsmiths allegedly overlapping for two years. Hirst's representatives reportedly said the artwork may have appeared in an earlier Modern Medicine exhibition, held before Butt revealed his Fly-Piece. But this was still understood to be after Butt developed his prototype while studying at Goldsmiths, with Hirst a fellow student. Hirst, who is arguably the most influential living British artist, has been hit with plagiarism claims on more than one occasion - previously making a 'goodwill payment' to a designer. Additionally, he has also faced damages claims in US courts for alleged copying.
