The maker of France's most famous modern public artwork has forced the country's culture ministry to take down a piece of street art it had put up next to it.
Veteran artist Daniel Buren, whose 260 candy-stripy columns at Palais Royal were once themselves condemned as a carbuncle, objected to the temporary work which was meant to be a homage to his own.
The ministry confirmed that it had taken down the striped posters put up by Parisian graffiti artist Le Module de Zeer.
He had covered the 17th-century colonnade around Buren's work with black and white horizontal stripes, which were meant to be "in dialogue" with Buren's vertical ones.
But the 80-year-old, who has brought the state to court in the past for not properly looking after his work, said that he had not been informed and demanded they be taken down.
Le Module de Zeer, whose real name is Mehdi, has built up a cult following in the French capital, covering a nightclub and a giant disused factory chimney with futuristic doodles.
Jean Faucheur, the curator who helped put up Le Module de Zeer's work at Palais Royal, said the controversy had been "very hurtful" for the artist.
"It is a real pity, it's a scandal which could have been avoided," he said.
But the French culture ministry said they had no choice but to act after admitting that they had not asked Buren's permission. "We are the ministry of intellectual property and copyright... and we have to be exemplary," a spokesman said.
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Read more:
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What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
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7pm: Flood Zone
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8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
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