Leibovitz donation - Photography, art and taxes

[scyth]

As far as the tax write off, I don’t see her as a coconspirator, I see her as a victim of the deal she signed and how silly that family was to give 2,000 amazing photographs to a small gallery without knowing how they would evaluate them.

oh really ? poor Sara didn't have a lawyer to review the paperwork who can explain her why the 2nd payment was conditioned on that donation some time later  whom you are kidding here ?  Martha Stewart v2 ...

[Alan Klein]

It seems the 2000 photos in question are copies of the same pictures that are distributed elsewhere.  I read that Annie might have been concerned with flooding the US market hence selling it in Canada.  That would make them less valuable.

[Rob C]

so if some dude steal your (c) work don't complain ... it is nothing, isn't it ?

I don't quite get what you mean - could you expand on it a bit more please?

Rob C

[Rob C]

BC!

Nice to read you again.

Rob C

[scyth]

I don't quite get what you mean

try harder ...

[Farmer]

try harder ...

In this case, you need to try harder with your English.  Sorry.

[scyth]

In this case, you need to try harder with your English.  Sorry.

  ... you are excused on account of ...

[texshooter]

I shed no tears for Leibovitz.  She's famous for photographing the famous. And that makes her a "nationally important" and "outstandingly significant" artist? I think not. I live in LA near a dry cleaning shop displaying a sign that reads: "Dry Cleaners to the Stars."  Leibovitz is no iconographic genius any more than my dry cleaners is a national landmark. She's a good portrait photographer with exceptional marketing skills. I'll give her that.

[Alan Klein]

I shed no tears for Leibovitz.  She's famous for photographing the famous. And that makes her a "nationally important" and "outstandingly significant" artist? I think not. I live in LA near a dry cleaning shop displaying a sign that reads: "Dry Cleaners to the Stars."  Leibovitz is no iconographic genius any more than my dry cleaners is a national landmark. She's a good portrait photographer with exceptional marketing skills. I'll give her that.

Well, her pictures will be worth more after she's dead. 

[Rob C]

I shed no tears for Leibovitz.  She's famous for photographing the famous. And that makes her a "nationally important" and "outstandingly significant" artist? I think not. I live in LA near a dry cleaning shop displaying a sign that reads: "Dry Cleaners to the Stars." Leibovitz is no iconographic genius any more than my dry cleaners is a national landmark. She's a good portrait photographer with exceptional marketing skills. I'll give her that.

You think?

She's an iconic photographer because of her ubiquity, which only came about after many years of hard work, and because enough people in the media want to use her for her pictures and even the reflected glory of being able to afford a name like that and have such a person accept their gig.

If you ask somebody - any civilian devoid of camera mania - to name a great snapper, she's probably one of the only ones that they could name. Icons are icons because they represent something - an era, a style or even a dream. I think she manages all three - at least.

A close second name - for the civilian - might be Testino.

But your cleaner probably has a better sense of humour than either.

Rob C

[Jeremy Roussak]

I shed no tears for Leibovitz.  She's famous for photographing the famous. And that makes her a "nationally important" and "outstandingly significant" artist? I think not. I live in LA near a dry cleaning shop displaying a sign that reads: "Dry Cleaners to the Stars."  Leibovitz is no iconographic genius any more than my dry cleaners is a national landmark. She's a good portrait photographer with exceptional marketing skills. I'll give her that.

OK, I'll chuck in my hand grenade and run. Would she and her photographs be anywhere near as admired - or as well-known - if they were of Joe Bloggs, of whom nobody had heard?

Jeremy

[Rob C]

OK, I'll chuck in my hand grenade and run. Would she and her photographs be anywhere near as admired - or as well-known - if they were of Joe Bloggs, of whom nobody had heard?

Jeremy

That's a herring so red it probably lives in China!

Any photographer of note in the mad, bad world of publicity and excitement depends on famous and/or beautiful subjects just in order to find the raw material from which to fashion his/her snaps!

The entire magazine business depends on people that are extraordinary and/or extraordinarily attractive - by definition, then, stars!

Nobody other than an avid reader of Readers' Wives (should such an organ exist) would pay his bucks in order to gaze at pictures of the people working in some fast food dump, would they?

Equally, as Cooter mentioned earlier, how many amongst us here would walk into a gig to shoot the latest god or goddess without fear and with the confidence that they've done it well a zillion times before?

Your grenade was papier mâché, I'm afraid. Also fashioned in China.

Incidentally, you also maligned Joe Bloggs, of whom a great many people have heard. He'd be a perfect subject for Annie L.

;-)

Rob C