Kim Kardashian Sued by Donald Judd Foundation Over Allegedly Fake Furniture
While many artists and brands would leap at the chance to be affiliated with Kim Kardashian, perhaps the world’s foremost and most successful influencer-entrepreneur, the late minimalist Donald Judd, whose eponymous foundation sued Kardashian on Wednesday, is not one of them.
Kardashian, the Judd Foundation alleges, is guilty of passing off knockoff Judd furniture as the real thing in a promotional YouTube video for her skincare brand SKKN.
“Two minutes and twenty seconds into the video... Ms. Kardashian pointed to two tables with sets of chairs seamlessly tucked under the tables and said, ‘If you guys are furniture people—because I’ve really gotten into furniture lately—these Donald Judd tables are really amazing and totally blend in with the seats,’” the lawsuit states.
The furniture, the suit claims, is not authentic Judd furniture but are rather knockoffs made by a West Hollywood interior designer called Clements Design.
“Kardashian... utilized [the Judd trademark] trademark to give the impression that she and her SKKN BY KIM brand were connected, affiliated, associated with, or otherwise endorsed by Mr. Judd,” the suit alleges. “Kardashian’s statement is literally false and particularly misleading,” the it continues, because the Judd Foundation prevents his materials from being used in any promotional content of any kind.
Judd, who passed away in 1994, is world-renowned for his often massively-scaled minimalist sculptural creations. It makes sense that his designs would appeal to Kardashian, who, alongside ex-husband Kanye West, built a stark family home in Calabasas co-designed by the Belgian minimalist Axel Vervoordt.
“The Kardashian Tables and Chairs slavishly imitate the trade dress of the Donald Judd La Mansana Table, the Donald Judd Chair 84, and the Donald Judd Integrated Trade Dress,” the lawsuit states.
In 2022, the Judd Foundation filed suit against the New York-based Tina Kim Gallery and the Seoul-based Kukje Gallery, alleging that a critically important piece by Judd had been marred by fingerprints.
The Daily Beast reached out to Kardashian, Clements Design and the Judd Foundation’s attorneys for comment.
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