It appears that the Municipality of Tirana has chosen to use the work of artist Clet Abraham, without his permission.

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the proclamation of Tirana as the capital of Albania, the Municipality has undertaken an artistic initiative by changing many of the road signs in the central Blloku area of the city.

These new road signs are exact copies of artwork by the famous artist Clet Abraham, otherwise known as ‘Le Clet’ who lives and works in Florence, Italy. Exit asked the artists studio whether they had given the Municipality of Tirana permission to use his work or whether they had worked with the Municipality on the project.

“Unfortunately we didn’t know about this “surprise” in Tirana. We thought City Hall would be a bit more respectful of copyright.”

Abraham was born in the UK in 1966 and was educated in art at Rennes before moving to Italy in the early 1990s. He is a well known and respected painter, sculptor and restorer.

The use of his original work without crediting him or asking permission is illegal.

Here is a comparison of Le Clet’s work, and the plagiarised Municipality of Tirana copies.

UPDATE: 10:27 Exit reached out to Mayor of Tirana Erion Veliaj to ask for his comment on the issue. and he responded by blocking them on WhatsApp.