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Case Summary
Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art Foundation, Inc. v. Büchel
Mass. Museum of Contemporary Art Found., Inc. v. Büchel, 593 F.3d 38 (1st Cir. 2010).
Précis
In this federal case which tested the scope of the Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990 (“VARA”), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit held that VARA applies to both unfinished and finished works of art. After Swiss artist Christoph Büchel abandoned an art installation exhibit prior to completion, the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (“Mass MoCA”) filed suit for a declaration that the museum could exhibit the unfinished work to the public. Büchel counterclaimed that the museum violated his rights under both VARA, which protects an artist’s moral rights of integrity and attribution, and the Copyright Act. . . .
Associated Legal Decision(s)
Associated Statutes and/or Legislation
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