Artist’s Credit: Where Due?

Gracing a quiet corner on the grounds outside the Crystal Cathedral, the “Good Shepherd” statue is the church’s oldest and, to many churchgoers, most beloved sculpture.

But the life-size bronze statue of Jesus Christ shepherding four sheep now is at the center of a legal dispute between the late artist’s son and the Rev. Robert H. Schuller, founder of the famed cathedral.

At issue is whether the church has violated the terms of a contract with sculptor Henry Van Wolf that requires Crystal Cathedral officials to credit him in the church’s written and electronic media.

Joseph Van Wolf, the sculptor’s son, charges in court papers that his father is not getting proper recognition when the sculpture appears, for instance, in telecasts, on gift items and on the church’s Web site. His lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount in general damages as well as $1 million in punitive damages.

Church officials call the legal action baseless and have filed a motion to dismiss the suit. They say the church has honored all of its obligations under its contract with Van Wolf. “I’m convinced this case is going away. It’s a nonissue,” said the church’s attorney, Alton Burkhalter.

Under terms of the 1980 contract, the church gained trademark rights to the statue in exchange for $15,000 and a promise to credit Henry Van Wolf whenever the statue’s image appears in the church’s print and electronic media.

The legal dispute was sparked last year when the church began producing ceramic reproductions of the statue, offering them at the church’s gift store in exchange for a $150 donation. Joseph Van Wolf contends that as many as 40,000 reproductions were manufactured--none of them inscribed with the Van Wolf name.

Made aware of the situation, the church sent postcards informing purchasers that Henry Van Wolf was the sculptor. But Joseph Van Wolf said it’s not enough. “The Schuller organization keeps taking and taking and taking,” the son said. “I have to draw the line in the sand and say, ‘No more.’ ”

The son is selling his father’s remaining works at several Southern California art galleries, including his own in Van Nuys.

Though most of the sculptures were sold through the years, three large works still remain, including a religious sculpture on the market since 1978 that lists for $1.2 million, the son said.

Crystal Cathedral’s alleged failure to credit his father, he contends, is hurting his efforts to sell Van Wolf sculptures.

“Part of trying to sell work of an artist is promotion,” he said. “Obviously, they are not doing it.”

Henry Van Wolf created sculptures that stand outside several public and private buildings across the country, including the Van Nuys Mall. The “Good Shepherd” statue took him three years to sculpt in the late 1950s and has stood on church grounds since 1964.

The statue appears in church pamphlets as well as pendants called “The Possibility Thinkers Medallion,” which sells in the church gift store for $2.50. The pendant reproductions are permitted under terms of the 1980 contract.

“It’s a beautiful piece,” said Larry Sonnenburg, Schuller’s chief of staff. “It’s very peaceful and it’s related to the 23rd Psalm, which is probably one of the most memorized pieces of Scripture that you can find.”

But Sonnenburg added that there was no intent, in “any way, shape, or form, to damage or hurt” Henry Van Wolf’s reputation, and Sonnenburg questions the son’s motivation.

“We do not understand how he could have been damaged to the extent that the lawsuit makes claim. We own the piece . . . and we have given a lot of due credit,” he said.