French Artist Claude Lévêque Ordered to Stand Trial for Rape and Sexual Assault of Minors
French artist Claude Lévêque, who represented France at the 2009 Venice Biennale, has been ordered to stand trial in a French criminal court for alleged rape and sexual assault of three minors, according to Libération. Court documents cited by the outlet say the alleged crimes occurred between 1989 and 2007, when the victims were between eight and 18 years old, and accuse Lévêque of using his status as a renowned artist to create conditions enabling abuse and moral influence. He faces charges including sexual assault involving violence, coercion, threat, or surprise, and indecent assault on a minor under 15 by a person in a position of authority; his lawyers have appealed, which is expected to delay proceedings in Seine-Saint-Denis. A judicial investigation began in 2019 after artist Laurent Foulon alleged Lévêque raped him in the 1980s, though those claims fall outside the statute of limitations; Lévêque has denied wrongdoing and has claimed some relationships were consensual.
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This story was covered in Museum Price Tags, Stolen Legacies, DNA Secrets