The 5Pointz site, a haunt of street artists in Queens, New York, until the building was destroyed in 2014. – RICHARD B. LEVINE/NEWSCOM/SIPA
The United States Court of Appeal on February 20 awarded compensation to street artists whose works had been destroyed at the same time as the New York building on which they had drawn. By this decision, justice places street art at the same level as other graphic arts.
The developer who razed this building in Queens, now an artists’ squat, was ordered to pay them $ 6.75 million (around 6 million euros), reports Slate. The building, a former water meter factory, was bought in the 1970s and converted into warehouses.
5Pointz artists score $6.7 million win against developer – Queens Daily Eagle – https://t.co/6xRlIsgpcl pic.twitter.com/gxkgbaSHHk
— ChronLAW Legal News (@ChronLaw) February 27, 2020
Works repainted without notice
In the 1990s, the owner had agreed that the premises be used as studios by artists. The 19th century building became in 2001 the 5Pointz, a site housing both improvised galleries, a museum and a residence for visiting artists. The place eventually gained recognition in the urban arts community.
Court upholds $6.75M award for graffiti destroyed at 5Pointz https://t.co/7FnIEcdA9o pic.twitter.com/hnEuGpRevh
– LUIS SUÁREZ | NEW YORK CITY (@LuisSuarezNY) February 21, 2020
But the owner ultimately wanted to develop a real estate program on the site. In 2013, in one night, workers painted the walls of the factory and the 100,000 or so graffiti inside it with white paint. The building was razed in 2014. The resident artists have taken legal action. In November 2017 and then February 2018, various courts ruled in favor of the complainants.
They did not benefit from the legal period of 90 days to withdraw their drawings. The justice notably evoked the “recognized scope” of street art and its representatives. 5Pointz “attracted thousands of visitors daily, other sometimes famous artists, and enjoyed wide media coverage,” said a judge.
