Draft:Jeff Dieschburg

Summary

Jeff Dieschburg is a Luxembourgian artist who gained notoriety after having been accused of plagiarism and copyright infringement.

Jeff Dieschburg (b. ca 1998) is an artist born in Strassen, Luxembourg. He was educated at the Athénée de Luxembourg and then went on to study art at the University of Strasbourg where he gained a bachelor's degree in visual arts.

Dieschbourg entered an artwork for the ViArt biennale in Vianden and the painting subsequently won 4th prize.

Controversy

In 2022 Dieschbourg exhibited an artwork named “Turandot” (part of a diptych where the other piece was a self-portrait of Dieschburg as Johannes the Baptist) and Strassen Biennial of Contemporary Art art competition in Luxembourg rewarded him with a prize of 1500€ . The artwork was described as "original, combining classical European art styles with a more modern vibe." Singaporean photographer Zhang Jingna later accused Dieschbourg of plagiarizing her work.

The case was taken to court but Zhang lost as judges found that her "photograph did not meet the requirements to be covered by Luxembourg or European copyright law, asserting that “there was insufficient originality in the photo.”

Dieschburgs alma mater University of Strasbourg commented on the case with the statement that ; "Jeff Dieschburg received a reprimand from the Dean of the Faculty of Arts. No evocation of the paintings is permitted in his final dissertation (...) His master's defense has been postponed. (...) He probably did not realise that the authorisation to copy within the framework of exercises and school work does not apply to all works and even less to those of living artists, especially when the work is allowed to leave the private setting and studies. (...) He apologized. (...)