French Artist Claude Lévêque Ordered to Stand Trial for Rape and Sexual Assault of Minors

The famed French artist Claude Lévêque, who represented the nation at the 2009 Venice Biennale, has been ordered to stand trial in a French criminal court for rape and sexual assault of three minors, Libération has revealed.

His lawyers have filed an appeal, which is expected to further delay a trial in the northern Paris department of Seine-Saint-Denis; it has already taken years for the proceedings to reach this stage. According to court documents leaked to Libération, Lévêque is accused of using “his position and his aura as a renowned contemporary artist to create a context conducive to committing the sexual acts against the minors concerned and to establish, on a moral level, his influence over them.” The victims are listed as being between eight and 18 years old during the time of the alleged crimes, between 1989 and 2007.

More specifically, Lévêque is charged with sexual assault involving violence, coercion, threat, or surprise, as well as indecent assault on a minor under the age of 15 by a person in a position of authority.

Lévêque was once a prominent figure of the French and European art scene, known for his neon sculptures, which have been exhibited in major global institutions, including the Louvre and the Elysée Palace—the residence of French presidents. But following news of the investigation against him, his gallery, Mennour, dropped him, and venues began turning off the lights of his neon installations.

A judicial investigation of Lévêque began in 2019, after the artist Laurent Foulon claimed Lévêque had raped him in the 1980s, when he was between the ages of 10 and 17. Foulon also told investigators about several other boys who had similar experiences, most of which allegedly occurred while they worked as Lévêque’s assistants, joining him on lavish trips to international art events and exhibitions. During those trips, plaintiffs and witnesses said the artist would often have them stay in the same hotel room with him and sleep in the same bed, on the pretext that it wasn’t possible to book separate rooms. The parents were also given the same pretext.

Foulon is not counted among the victims in the current case because his allegations occurred outside the statute of limitations. Two other people claimed to have been abused by the artist during their childhood, according to Libération, but are also not included in the case headed to trial because the incidents took place too far in the past.  

Court documents outline how Lévêque allegedly manipulated underage boys over years, “gradually escalating the sexual acts imposed on them.”  Victims said they “felt compelled to conform to Claude Lévêque’s wishes so as not to disappoint him, given their emotional ties, but also in order to continue benefiting from access to the art world and these privileges.”

Lévêque has denied the accusations against him, but has also claimed that his relationships with these boys were consensual, despite urging them to remain silent about it. According to a later report by Le Monde published today, the new court order also spells out why that argument in itself is an inherent contradiction. “It is thus indisputable that a minor … is not capable of understanding the nature of sexual acts, of perceiving what is at stake in them, much less of asserting a desire of their own or of protecting themselves against an adult who would attempt to impose their own desire on them,” reads the legal document.

Lévêque’s lawyers, Patrick Klugman and Lucas Veil, told Libération that their client “actively cooperated with the investigation, during which, thanks to significant work on himself, he wished to offer his apologies to the civil parties and to help bring out the truth.” However, they explained they had appealed the court order because they disputed certain “legal classifications.” Once that is rectified, their client would be ready to face trial “within a reasonable timeframe and within a calmer context.”

Anastasia Pitchouguina, a lawyer representing two of the plaintiffs, said her clients “regret that Claude Lévêque, who talks about apologizing, chose to appeal, to contest the legal characterization of the facts. One cannot apologize while, at the same time, disputing the seriousness of what one has done.” Pitchouguina added that the appeal will delay the trial, and her clients “hope he will finally stop making excuses.”