Reactor

Another Artist Unofficially “Quoted” By W Magazine

by Hrag Vartanian on May 6, 2010

Left: photo by Danielle van Art's “Art for Art’s Sake” series; Right: photo from the W Magazine portfolio titled “Art and Commerce”

After our post about one image in Mauricio Cattelan’s W Magazine portfolio, which bares an uncanny resemblance to the work of artist Matthieu Lavancy, we discovered that that this may not be the first time the fashion magazine poached ideas from the art world.

Artist Danielle Van Ark had blogged about the incident back in October 3, 2009:

Three months after the group show Dutch Seen opened in New York (I showed a part of the series For Art’s Sake), W Magazine features a fashion story that Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin (who were also part of the [Dutch Seen] show) shot in and around galleries and museums … I’ll let the images speak for [them]selves.

You be the judge: Van Art’s For Art’s Sake series and W Magazine’s Art and Commerce series

Tagged as: Danielle van Ark, Inez van Lamsweerde, Vinoodh Matadin, W Magazine

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  • http://www.joannemattera.blogspot.com Joanne Mattera

    The W photo is infinitely better–the art, the fashion, the color, the angle– marrying art and fashion as it does. I’m not defending W, just calling it as I see it (full disclosure: I worked for WWD and W when I first moved to New York some time ago). Having supported myself and my art as an editor at several women’s magazines, I can tell you that sittings editors (the ones who work with the photographers to get the fashion shots) were always referencing other people’s images. So, Hrag, you’re discovering America here.

    • http://hragv.com Hrag Vartanian

      I think magazines have a right to quote from art sources but I do think it would be nice for them to give a nod to the source. It’s an injustice to the artists really. And I disagree about which set of photos are better, the W version is a little to slick for my taste.

  • http://joannemattera.blogspot.com Joanne MAttera

    I agree with you about acknowledging the artists. I just don’t think it’s gonna happen. All the mags are pulling from other photographers, other articles. That’s why all the same models and all the same clothes and all the same ideas get recycled endlessly from magazine to magazine and from season to season.

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