Artist Gavin Snider Accuses Tik Tok-Famous Artist Devon Rodriguez of Stealing Knicks Artworks
Brooklyn-based artist and designer Gavin Snider accused TikTok-famous artist Devon Rodriguez of copying two paintings depicting New York Knicks fans and Madison Square Garden, alleging the similarities were too close to be coincidental. Snider said in an Instagram post that he was hired in May by the Knicks’ marketing agency to paint a scene outside MSG commemorating the team’s first NBA Finals appearance in 25 years, and that the work was shared on the Knicks’ social channels before Game 1 and again after the team won. He claimed Rodriguez posted and sold a near-identical version on Instagram on June 13, matching details such as fans wearing Carmelo Anthony and Jalen Brunson jerseys; the post was later deleted and Rodriguez had not commented as of ARTnews’s reporting. Snider noted he has about 37,000 followers while Rodriguez has over 9 million, and Rodriguez previously rose to prominence after joining TikTok in 2020, later signing with United Talent Agency and having a 2023 solo show, “Underground,” at UTA Artist Space in Chelsea.
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This story was covered in AI Museums, Restitution Heat, and History Wars