ASPEN – — The Aspen widow of a renowned artist is suing a handful of galleries on allegations that they sold and reproduced his work without her permission, making more than $3 million in profit in the process.
Lou Lou Goss, whose husband Earl Biss died in 1998, filed the copyright-infringement lawsuit May 31 in the U.S. District Court of Denver. Biss is regarded as a key contributor to 20th-century Southwestern art. His works have reportedly sold for tens of thousands of dollars.
Goss is the sole owner of all of Biss’ works, the suit claims, noting she “is the surviving spouse, the personal representative, and sole heir of Earl Biss.”
Goss’ suit identifies art dealer Paul Zueger, who runs galleries in New Mexico and Colorado — including Aspen, Breckenridge and Vail — as reproducing and selling Biss’ works without Goss’ authority.
“Defendants know, and reasonably should know, that Plaintiff’s or Earl Biss’s permission was or is required to reproduce copies of, to distribute, to sell and publicly display copies of the Biss Works.”
Biss’ art has been illegally reproduced in the form or poster, giclees, serigraphs, sculptures, Internet postings and a book, the suit alleges.
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