A few days after his visit to Le Havre (Seine-Maritime), the famous street artist Jace had two gouzous – giant yellow men – stolen from the facade of the disused TCH factory. He is threatening to file a complaint if the works are not returned.
“It’s the drop of water that makes the vase overflow.” The famous street artist Jace, originally from Le Havre, announced on his social networks on Tuesday July 2, 2024 that two paintings – which he calls gouzous – had been stolen from the facade of the disused TCH factory in Le Havre (Seine-Maritime).
My actions are intended to offer art for free to the public and when some idiot selfishly comes along and steals this pleasure from people it pisses me off.
Reached by telephone from Reunion Island where he lives, Jace told us: “It’s infuriating because it’s not the first time. I’ve already had about ten works stolen and they ended up at auction or on online resale sites.”
The artist tells us that he does not wish to file a complaint at first. “I warned on my social networks, I have enough elements to find the perpetrators and file a complaint, but I prefer to first give them a chance to bring back the works. This act must not go unpunished.”
The street artist is known for his gouzous, giant yellow men, which he installs all over the world. Through his yellow men, the artist from Le Havre tries to convey emotions, sometimes political messages. Like in Reunion, his adopted land, or in Brazil.
On the facade of the disused TCH factory in the Granville district, Jace had installed two gouzous: one representing a manager jumping out of the window in his underwear and a second representing the cleaning lady who witnesses the scene.I liked this chaotic post-business side”explains the artist.
The two gouzous had been installed this weekend during the visit of the artist from the city of Ocean. They were both stolen with the support for the first and with the window for the second.Taken out of context, the work no longer has any meaning, it is a piece of a puzzle that we take out of the puzzle.”
This is not the first time he has had a gouzou stolen: “Once a painting was stolen from me and it was cut into pieces to be resold in several installments.”
The street artist from Le Havre returned to his hometown on the weekend of June 29, 2024 to launch his new exhibition at the Hamon gallery until August 31, 2024. He also performed at the foot of the old Volcano in front of hundreds of spectators.
Although the street art works are installed without permission. The artist reminds that it is a moral right and that a “a law exists in France to protect authors’ rights.” In Paris, for example, men who had snatched Invaders were sentenced to 10 months in prison, suspended, and a fine of 5,000 euros.
