The post above about the Winter 2008 issue of Aperture reminded me of the dispute between Joy Garnett and Susan Meiselas over "Molotov Man," Meiselas' iconic photograph of a Sandinista at the barricades throwing a Molotov cocktail. The dispute involved the ownership of images. Meiselas' image has been copied repeatedly by other artists, and the appropriation of Meiselas' photograph has been the subject of commentary in journals and conferences.
Joy Garnett is one who appropriated Meiselas' photograph for her own work. Both Garnett and Meiselas appeared at a symposium at the New York Institute for the Humanities at NYU, April 28-30, 2006, which debated many of these issues, including including the dispute between Garnett and Meiselas over "Molotov Man."
Examples of Meiselas' original photograph, Garnett's painting, and many other appropriations:
For more examples, see Joy Garnett's photos on flickr.
If you are interested in other aspects of the Fair Use Doctrine ("fair use" is a legal principle that allows copyrighted material to be used without permission from or payment to the owner), take a look at the report of the NYU symposium, April 28-30, 2006. The entire audio of the symposium is available for download.
Garnett and Meiselas also co-authored an article about the appropriation of art in the February 2007 issue of Harper's Magazine (will download PDF). It is a fascinating article and all who create art, particularly those who create art that can be copied by someone else, should read it.
Comments