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Deconceptualizing Artists' Rights, Steven G. Gey

San Diego Law Review

During the last three decades, visual artists and their supporters have convinced several states and the federal government to enact legislation protecting the moral rights of artists. This effort culminated in the federal government’s enactment of the Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990. These statutes protect various aspects of art, including most importantly artistic integrity, which gives artists the right to prevent the intentional distortion, mutilation, or other modification of an artistic work if the modification would damage the artist’s reputation. These statutes have recently come under attack, surprisingly, from within the art community itself. Professor Amy Adler recently published …