Works of art that involve legally-binding contracts (as part of the work)

Works of art involving legal documents :
 * Suzanne Lacy, The Body Contract (1974): the artist collaberated with a team of lawyers to devise a contract that would allow her to seal her organs to art dealers as "art objects."
 * Yves Klein,Zone de Sensibilité Picturale Immatérielle (1962): the artist highlights the everyday ritual of "immaterial" fininacial transaction as the aesthetic experience ceremonial, offering buyers zones of empty space in exchange for gold so that they could experience "the Void." In turn he would issue them certificates in the form of cheque receipts.
 * Kristin Lucas, Refresh (2007): the artist went to court and legally changed her name from "Kristin Sue Lucas" to "Kristin Sue Lucas" as if to refresh her name like a web-page. Transcription of the court hearing can be downloaded here.
 * Santiago Sierra, Death Counter (2009): the artist offered a sculpture flashing the statistical projection of the number of people who die globally per second in an entire year in exchange for the provision of life insurance equal to the value of the sculpture loaned.
 * Etienne Chambaud, The Siren’s Stage: The Artist’s Reserved Rights, Transfer and Sale Agreement Installation view at David Roberts Art Foundation) (2010): the artist displayed legal documentation in the absence of an invisible sealed artwork (itself a papier-mache copy) held in storage at each venue.
 * Marcel Duchamp, Monte Carlo Bond (No. 12) (1924): the artist created bonds as art objects, designated to be issued to the public through a stock company established by him. The purpose of the bonds was to encourage investment in a financial system for playing roulette.
 * Robert Morris, Document (1963): Morris sold another work, Litanies ("Exhibit A" in the hyperlink image) to Philip Johnson, but when he did not recieve payment for it, he created Statement of Aesthetic Withdrawal, which denied that Litanies had any aesthetic content. Johnson in turn paid for Document and accepted it as a work of art.
 * Superflex, Corruption Contract (2009): the impossible "legal" contract, signed by the exhibition curators, paradoxically required its signers to take part in illegal activities, such as bribery and embezzlement: "The aim and purpose of this contract is to threaten the stability and security of society, undermine the institutions and values of democracy, ethical values and justice, and jeopardize sustainable development and the rule of law."
 * Carey Young, Declared Void (2005): the artist declared that the US constitution did not apply to a specific corner zone of the Paula Cooper Gallery, New York. Members of the public were invited to visit the purported anarchist corner and temporarily rid themselves of their governmental protections, obligations, and rights.
 * Maria Nordman, Washington and Beethoven (1979): (image not available) the artist bought out an empty indoor space in Los Angeles and declared it free and open to the public. It was initially intended to remain forever a part of the city's public space, but due to unforeseen circumstances it eventually fell back to its or its original use. The work involves legal contracts in terms of its role in ownership in relation to private/public space. More anarchist-leaning artists have bypassed the law to claim free use of a building, such as the artists' squat Kunsthaus Tacheles in Berlin.
 * Jill Magid, Auto Portrait Pending (2005): the artist entered into a contract with a US-based diamond company, Life Gem, that upon her death it would transform the carbon from her cremated remains into a one-carat diamond. The link above shows the diamond she exhibited in her exhibition at the Centre d’Arte Santa Monica, Barcelona as a "preview" of what she will become after she dies.
 * Andrea Fraser, Untitled (2003): the dealer signed a contract in which he was to have sex with the artist as "payment" for the work. Their intercourse was filmed and displayed as a work of art.