GRAFFITI ARTIST AT 5POINTZ WIN MORE THAN 5 MILLI

Photo courtesy of Ezmosis via Wikimedia Commons

In a stunning legal decision, a judge just upheld a $6.75 million victory for the street artists whose works were destroyed at the 5Pointz graffiti mecca.

The twenty-one artists sued developer Gerald Wolkoff, taking their case to an unprecedented trial arguing their art at the old Long Island City factory was work of "recognized stature" protected by the federal Visual Artists Rights Act, which took effect in 1990.

The act states, [The Visual Artists Richts Act ("VARA")] recognizes that visual art plays an important role in our cultural life, and that artists who have put their hearts and souls into their creations deserve protection for their efforts. 

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals decision, said that temporary art like graffiti can have "recognized stature" under the "VARA" statute.