Ansel Adams Trust Decries Dealer's Sale of Photo Colorized Using AI
The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust criticized New York gallerist James Danziger for selling AI-colorized editions derived from Ansel Adams’s iconic photograph “Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico” (1941) at an art fair, saying the project “exploited Ansel’s name, reputation, and his most iconic image.” The Trust said in an online statement dated May 23 that Danziger did not notify or consult it and that it asked for the work to be removed once alerted; it also alleged he was pursuing a broader commercial AI-colorization venture involving other artists’ estates. Danziger responded publicly on May 25 that he had the right to make a “new and transformative artwork” because the original photograph is in the public domain, and he displayed the AI prompt at The Photography Show presented by AIPAD in April. Danziger printed the AI image in editions of 10 in three sizes and declined to disclose prices or how many, if any, were sold.
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This story was covered in AI Art Wars and Museum Reckonings