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Published on 12/14/1998 All articles from this issue

Controversial painting becomes a national hit

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By Linda Taaffe

Town Crier Staff Writer

By now, Ryan Du Val's name has been splashed across the country as the "art rebel."

A large ceiling, a little paint and a trip to the Sistine Chapel landed the Los Altos resident in federal court this month, where he won a lawsuit against Northwestern University in Chicago for violating his rights as an artist.

The Northwestern sophomore took the university to court after school officials told him the replica of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel that he had painted on his ceiling violated dorm rules and would have to be repainted over winter break.

"It was an accident that this happened," said his mother Gay Du Val. With house paint from Home Depot, Du Val painted his ceiling the first six days of fall quarter, a time when nothing was going on in his department, Du Val said. He decided to paint a replica of Michelangelo's work that he had seen over the summer while visiting Italy, he said.

"A lot of students paint their rooms," Du Val said. "For some reason, I decided this year I wanted a more decorative room. I had a big ceiling and it hit me right off, so I tried to do the Sistine Chapel."

Du Val said his painting turned out "really nice." Through word-of-mouth, students started dropping by to watch Du Val paint. The university's daily newspaper ran an article about the painting.

When the administration got wind of Du Val's painting, they told him to paint over it within two weeks, using "university approved white or beige," he said.

Du Val said he could not find any rules prohibiting what he had done. He said he had even asked permission from a dorm supervisor before painting the ceiling.

Du Val said he requested a student hearing, which was denied. Du Val went back and forth on the issue with school officials throughout the fall quarter. But Du Val said he never expected to go to court.

"I kept waiting for them to say they were wrong," he said. "I spent a lot of time and effort on (the painting) and I didn't want to just give in. I strongly felt like they were bullying me around. No one was able to give me clear answers."

Du Val waited until he had finished his last final, Dec. 11 - ironically the same day as his birthday - before filing a claim against the school. Du Val found a lawyer probono, skipped his evening flight home to Los Altos and went to court to secure an emergency restraining order against the university to prevent officials from painting his room the following Monday.

"It looked hopeless. I had no other option," he said. "It was down to the wire, like a movie. We barely got it filed before the court closed."

The case was settled Dec. 14. Du Val will pay to have the ceiling in his dorm room re-painted off-white at the end of the year, up to a maximum cost of $450.

Du Val's attorney argued that the Federal Visual Artists Rights Act precluded the university from destroying the artwork; the university's rules did not ban students from painting their rooms; and the university violated Du Val's rights as a lease holder, Du Val said.

According to news reports, the university will clarify its policies to prohibit students from painting their rooms.

Du Val's story doesn't end here. There's another twist. Du Val said a wealthy benefactor heard about the case and has offered to remove the painting and donate it to a charity of Du Val's choice. The university agreed to let Du Val bring in contractor to see if the painting can be moved and preserved, he said.

The case has attracted national attention. Du Val will appear in People Magazine and possibly the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

"This has been a fantasy for him, like 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off,' " said Du Val's mother.

Du Val, who graduated from Los Altos High in 1997 with 4.0 grade point average, has been described by those who know him as anything but a trouble maker.

Marge Gratiot, superintendent of the Los Altos School District, said Du Val was a student at Santa Rita School while she was principal.

"He was always artistic. He was a star musician," Gratiot said.

Du Val said he learned a lot about his rights as a lease holder, the legal system, the university and the media, and "miraculously balanced everything to still come out with pretty decent grades."

Du Val said he planned to spend the holidays quietly in Los Altos before returning to school, where he is studying music composition and computer science.