Illustration by Jennifer Hoffman-Williamson.
Photographer Ryan McGinley Sued for Copyright Violation
The 33-year-old photographer Ryan McGinley is being sued by photographer Janine “Jah Jah” Gordon for copyright violation in federal court in Manhattan. Gordon claims that at least 150 of McGinley’s photographs are “substantially based” on her work. McGinley contests the accusation, saying that the images “do not look alike in the slightest” and Gordon is “really complaining that the images share the same fundamental idea.” Former senior curator at the New Museum Dan Cameron has come forward in support of Gordon, stating in court papers that he believes “without hesitation that Ms. Gordon’s work is completely original, in concept, color, composition and content, and that Ryan McGinley has derived much of his work from her creations.” – Danielle Dobies
Alleged copies of sculptor’s work found
A large-scale granite sculpture outside Seven Corporate Plaza in Newport Beach, California is allegedly a copy of a work done by California-based sculptor Don Wakefield. The original piece by Wakefield, Untitled, was created and designed with Joseph “Chick” Glickman in 1992 and is installed in the home of Glickman’s son in Illinois. – Danielle Dobies
T. Lux Feininger Dies at 101
Painter and photographer T. Lux Feininger died last week at his Massachusetts home at the age of 101. Feininger, whose father Lyonel Feininger was one of the first artists appointed to teach at the Bauhaus in Weimar, became a student at the school when he was sixteen years old. Assistant curator of the Busch-Reisinger Museum at Harvard Laura Muir says, “He captured what the student life was like there in a sophisticated, innovative way, even though he was totally untrained. He merged photojournalism with the New Vision aesthetic of exaggerated angles, extreme close-ups, and cropping.” – Danielle Dobies
Art Prices Rebounding According to Collector Howard Rachofsky
Dallas-based collector Howard Rachofsky told Bloomberg this week that the market for contemporary art is much better than it was just a few years ago. Says Rachofsky, “There’s so much weatlth in the world looking for alternative assets. The market is broader than it was. It’s grown with new buyers from Asia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. A number of players have come in from the financial industry and they look for value.” – Danielle Dobies
Picasso’s “Tete de Femme” Accused Pleads Not Guilty
Picasso’s “Tete de Femme” (“Head of a Woman”) was stolen from the Weinstein Gallery in San Francisco on Tuesday, July 5. The 1965 pencil drawing measuring 10 5/8 inches by 8 1/4 inches, was being offered by the gallery for more than $200,000, The New York Times reports. Mark Lugo, accused of stealing the Picasso drawing, was arrested the week of the theft. Lugo was found at a hotel in Napa, California and the police recovered the drawing stolen from the Weinstein Gallery. During a court appearance on Monday July 11, Mr. Lugo’s lawyer, Douglas Horngrad, asked the judge to reduce the $5 million bail and postpone the arraignment. – Nicolette Whitney
