Louvre Might Take Legal Action For Unauthorized Use In Presidential Campaign

Image via Kobkob / Shutterstock.com

Everyone wants a shot with the Louvre, including two candidates vying for the position of French president.

The monument, designed by the late IM Pei, famously served as the backdrop for current president Emmanuel Macron’s victory speech in 2017.

Then, on January 15, 2022, another video spotlighting Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally party, in front of the building surfaced. The setting, which Le Pen praised as an “architectural jewel” in her clip, was chosen to remind audiences of Macron’s supposed unfulfilled promises of keeping the nation united and unyielding against divisive forces. The two politicians will go head to head in the upcoming April election.

With the Louvre standing behind her, Le Pen accused Macron of “betraying the French people through lies and dissimulation,” as quoted by Artnet News. “I need you at my side,” she urged the public.

Affaissement du pays, déclassement des Français : c’est au Louvre qu’a commencé le quinquennat d’Emmanuel Macron.

?? Pour renouer avec un destin collectif et un grand projet national, n’attendez pas l’élection présidentielle : faites-la !

Retrouvez ma déclaration du Louvre ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/jmWJY2qCZh

— Marine Le Pen (@MLP_officiel) January 15, 2022

The Louvre has been sharp-edged about being featured in the video without its knowledge. It affirms that the campaign was produced “without any authorization from the museum” and is “in violation of the rules of law applicable to public property and intellectual property.”

According to a statement published by the art news outlet, the establishment is now exploring “possible consequences” against Le Pen and her team for this appropriation.

A spokesperson for the Le Pen campaign responded that the Louvre does allow footage to be shot at its premises as long as it is non-commercial, which the video purportedly is. The team also deduces that the institution might be displeased over the use as it is worried about ruffling the feathers of Macron’s administration.

[via Bloomberg and Artnet News, cover image via Kobkob / Shutterstock.com]