G20 organisers send defamation notice to painter Mario Miranda's art gallery, demand ₹25 crore

India is set to host the G20 Leaders summit in September, but before that, the excitement around the event is marred by legal trouble as a private agency that managed G20 events in Goa sent a defamation notice to the art gallery of painter Mario Miranda. The agency Sean AdEvent has demanded ₹25 crore from the art gallery for reputational damage.

The development came as art gallery of Mario Miranda had accused the private agency of using his artwork for the promotion of G20 events. The art gallery even sent a notice to Sean AdEvent and the Chief Secretary of Goa regarding the same. The art gallery of painter Mario Miranda demanded that the agency and the Goa government should take proper permission before using his work, news platform Scroll said in a report.

Gerard da Cunha, curator of Mario Gallery told Scroll that they received the defamation notice on 10 July. “They even said that the artwork does not belong to Mario and have demanded ₹25 crore because we defamed them,” Da Cunha said.

Prior permission is necessary

The curator added that he has no problem if the Goa government uses the works for G20 events but prior permission is necessary. “Everybody takes permission...the Indian Navy, the Airport Authority, the Income Tax Department all of them take permission,” Da Cunha told Scroll.

Earlier, Mario Gallery served notice to Sean AdEvent threatening to initiate legal proceedings.

“The Mario Gallery has served a legal notice on Sean AdEvent, which is the event management agency for the G20 summit in Goa. The notice is with respect to the installation of Mario Miranda’s famous caricature drawings in the form of life-sized figurines placed at Old Goa and Dona Paula for the G20 summit,” Gerard da Cunha, curator of Mario Gallery, said in a statement.

“Till now, we have taken note of eight figurines at Old Goa, eight figurines in two clusters at Goa University, and four figurines at NIO circle. There are reports of many more figurines which are being verified. The legal notice states that if the agency does not comply within the time given, the Mario Gallery will initiate appropriate legal proceedings,” Cunha added.ri