“The opposing party has left us no choice but to take legal action,” said , a lawyer at and representative of Jingna Zhang. The US-based Singaporean photographer is accusing Dieschburg of infringing her intellectual property.

Dieschburg, a young local painter, exhibited a painting at the Strassen biennial art fair that strongly resembles a photograph taken by Zhang. He won a prize of €1,500 for his work, which was displayed with a selling price of €6,000.

As a first step, Welles contacted , the representative of the Luxembourg artist, in order to find common ground. Zhang’s lawyer demanded the withdrawal of the award received by Dieschburg for his work and the return of the prize money worth €1,500. The Singaporean artist’s lawyer also demanded that Dieschburg’s painting not be marketed.

Vogel--who previously referred to his client as a “genius”--stood by his initial position, citing “free inspiration” and not a violation of private property.

Wellens therefore took legal action by filing a writ of summons so that a judge can decide the dispute between the two artists. A request for an accelerated procedure has been made.

Contacted, Dieschburg’s lawyer has yet to respond.

This story was first published in French on . It has been translated and edited for Delano.