Head to the Gagosian Gallery and you may see your own Instagram photo hanging on the wall.
Artist Richard Prince took other people’s selfies off of Instagram and is showing them at his exhibit “New Portraits.” Prince does alter the photos – he blows up the Instagram pictures and adds a comment from himself at the bottom, reports Gothamist. The modifications mean the pictures are likely considered fair use; Prince has claimed fair use before for other similar artworks in court and won lawsuits filed against him. Prince is allegedly selling the pieces for around $90,000 to $100,000. The original Instagram photographers don’t get a penny.
One of the Instagram users whose photo was featured in the exhibit wrote that she was not compensated and does not plan to sue the artis: “Figured I might as well post this since everyone is texting me. Yes, my portrait is currently displayed at the Frieze Gallery in NYC. Yes, it’s just a screenshot (not a painting). No, I did not give my permission and yes, the controversial artist Richard Prince put it up anyway. It’s already sold ($90K I’ve been told) during the VIP preview. No, I’m not gonna go after him. And nope, I have no idea who ended up with it!” The show is open until September 19th, so if you’re curious to see if you are included in the exhibit, hustle to the Gagosian Gallery over the summer.
