Adam Pendleton and the issue of originality in the digital age

Jeppe Ugelvig | Frieze | 8th December 2022

Pendleton, a New York visual artist, has accused a fashion house of copying his work. Initial coverage seemed sympathetic. Designers want to reflect the current visual language in their work – hence the popularity of Instagram. Pendleton acknowledges, though, that his art, which he posts online, also is part of a “tradition of montage and appropriation”. AI image technologies plunder online imagery, as do artists themselves. As Picasso himself observed, “good artists copy; great artists steal”.