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 Trust was not consulted or notified before the work appeared. Once alerted, we reached out to James Danziger in real time, notifying him of the Trust’s rights and asking for the work to be removed,” the Ansel Adams Trust says. At the time of publication, the Gallery has not made a formal statement on the matter.

“Correspondence shared with the Trust shows that, despite our formal notice, Mr. Danziger subsequently leveraged Ansel’s name, ‘Moonrise,’ and the AIPAD presentation while pursuing a proposed commercial AI colorization venture involving other artists’ estates.”

Curiously, as ArtNews points out, the Trust doesn’t seem to have a particular issue with the use of AI, but the process (or lack thereof) that the Danziger Gallery went about commercializing the photo.

“Ansel was an innovator who expanded the expressive and technical possibilities of his medium. He was remarkably prescient about—and excited by—the potential of computers to transform photography. The Trust’s concerns are not about AI or creative experimentation in the abstract,” the Trust explains.

“This is fundamentally about artists’ rights and moral rights—and respect for human dignity. No one should trade on another person’s name, reputation, and labor for private commercial ends without consent and candor. The unauthorized exploitation of Ansel’s actively stewarded legacy reflects a gross failure of ethical and professional judgment.”

The offending photo is still listed on the Danziger Gallery website despite the Trust’s calls for its removal.

“Few figures fought harder than Ansel to secure photography’s place as fine art, or contributed more to the cultural conditions that gave rise to today’s photography market. That this episode occurred at AIPAD is especially egregious and disheartening,” the Trust concludes.

The Danziger Gallery did not immediately respond to PetaPixel‘s request for comment.

Image credits: Header image via the Danziger Gallery. As it is AI-generated, it is ineligible for copyright protection.