Ricky Gervais's British production company is to pay an Aboriginal artist compensation for featuring an unauthorised copy of a painting in the actor's Netflix series After Life.
A furore emerged following the release of the acclaimed comedy-drama in March after the lounge room set of Gervais's character featured a large dot painting by an English artist that copied an Aboriginal artwork.
Gervais's company, Derek Productions, will now pay an undisclosed amount of compensation to Aboriginal artist Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri for using the copy of a 1987 work titled Tingarri Dreaming.
Paul Sweeney of the Papunya Tula Artists collective in Alice Springs, which represents Mr Tjapaltjarri, said it was pleased with the outcome.
"It's important that his work and the work of all Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists is acknowledged and respected," Mr Sweeney said.
As well as the compensation, the company will also pay an ongoing fee for use of the work in season two.
The deal was negotiated by the Australian Copyright Agency, which works on behalf of artists to protect licensing and copyright arrangements.
Copyright Agency chief executive Adam Suckling said the deal covers the past and next season of the show.
"The production company was very open to working with us to rectify the situation, agreeing to secure a retrospective licence for the first series and licensing a reproduction of an authorised copy for the second series, which recently wrapped filming and will be released in 2020."
Tingarri Dreaming is in the collection at the National Gallery of Victoria, which has now supplied the production with an image of the legitimate original for copying for use in season two.
The artist of the copied version, Timna Woollard, told the ABC the work was among those commissioned for a UK television and prop company in 1999.
After Life featured Gervais as a man in mourning after the death of his wife from cancer and is one of his best-received TV works to date.
