21st CENTURY HEADLINES: NYC Gallery Sold an AI-Generated Ansel Adams Photo Without Permission.
The New York Danziger Gallery displayed for sale an AI-generated version of Ansel Adams’ photo “Moonrise Over Hernandez” without consulting the photographer’s trust, effectively stealing the legendary artist’s work and dramatically altering it with AI for the sake of profit.
The work, which can be seen above, is described as “A.I. Generated” from the prompt “Make a realistic color version of Ansel Adams’ iconic ‘Moonrise Over Hernandez’.” It is further described as “Proofed, regenerated, & photoshopped from 11/25 – 4/26. Printed by master printer Esteban Mauchi Editions of 10 in 3 sizes – 20 x 24” , 24 x 30”, 30 x 40.’”
The image was part of The Photography Show at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City, which ran from April 22 through April 26, 2026. Images sold at this show in the past typically cost in the tens of thousands of dollars.
Ansel Adam’s trust published a public statement on Instagram over the weekend, confirming that despite its best efforts at communication, the Danziger Gallery used Adams’ name and his photo for commercial purposes without its permission.
The gallery responded: NYC Gallery Says it Has ‘Every Right’ to Create AI Version of Iconic Ansel Adams Photo.
But in a statement released last night, James Danziger says he has “every right to create a new and transformative work” since the Adams’ Moonrise photo, taken on November 1, 1941, has passed into the public domain.
“I had long believed the image was in the public domain but to confirm this beyond doubt, I hired one of the most respected copyright lawyers in the country to insure [sic] this was the case,” Danziger writes defiantly. “It was indeed confirmed to be in the public domain and I was free to create a transformative color rendition of the image and to exhibit and sell the resulting prints.”
Given the increasingly photo-realistic power of AI image creators such as Dall-E, stock image providers such as Shutterstock have got to be terrified of AI stealing their lunch.
