Photographer Barbara Karant Sues Mickalene Thomas for Copyright Infringement

Barbara Karant, a Chicago-based photographer, has filed a federal lawsuit in Illinois against artist Mickalene Thomas, accusing her of using more than a dozen of Karant’s images without permission. The lawsuit, submitted on May 26, centers on Karant’s '820 Ebony/Jet' series (2013–15), featuring the now-abandoned Johnson Publishing Company headquarters in Chicago. Karant claims that Thomas's upcoming exhibition 'All About Love' at The Broad includes her copyrighted photos, including one of an Ebony Fashion Fair dressing room and two images of patterned walls. The lawsuit also points out that Thomas's collage 'Nus Exotiques #10' (2025) incorporates a piece of one of Karant's photos. Several galleries, including Lévy Gorvy Dayan and Yancey Richardson, are also named for displaying the contested works. Karant's new book, '820 Ebony/Jet: Visions of the Johnson Publishing Company, an American Icon,' is about to be released by MW Editions. Karant argues that Thomas's actions hurt her ability to sell her photos and jeopardize her book’s sales. This is the second lawsuit against Thomas this year; her ex-fiancée, Racquel Chevremont, filed a lawsuit for abuse in August 2024, which Thomas denied. This situation is reminiscent of a 2024 case where artist Richard Prince was ordered to pay over $500,000 for similar copyright violations.