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Danziger Gallery Defends AI Colorized Ansel Adams Photo as Public Domain

digital · 2026-05-25

James Danziger of Danziger Gallery has released a statement defending his AI-generated color version of Ansel Adams' iconic photograph Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico (1941), which he exhibited and offered for sale at The Photography Show in New York. The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust issued a statement asserting it did not authorize the work, calling it a violation of artists' rights and moral rights. Danziger counters that the image is in the public domain, having been first published in 1942 without copyright renewal in 1968-1970, as confirmed by a copyright lawyer. He claims his version is transformative, created over months with human editing, and expresses admiration for Adams. Danziger cites Adams' own 1983 quote about the potential of electronic imaging. The AI-generated print is ineligible for copyright protection.

Key facts

  • Danziger Gallery exhibited and sold an AI colorized version of Ansel Adams' Moonrise at AIPAD's The Photography Show in New York.
  • The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust did not authorize, endorse, or consent to the AI version.
  • Adams' Moonrise was taken on November 1, 1941 in Hernandez, New Mexico.
  • The photograph was first published in 1942 and its copyright was not renewed in 1968-1970, placing it in the public domain.
  • Danziger hired a copyright lawyer to confirm the public domain status.
  • Danziger claims the AI image is transformative and was edited by humans over months.
  • Adams in 1983 expressed excitement about electronic imaging's potential.
  • The AI-generated print is ineligible for copyright protection.

Entities

Artists

  • Ansel Adams
  • James Danziger
  • Esteban Mauchi
  • Seydou Keïta
  • Hoda Afshar
  • Matthew Porter
  • Pete Souza
  • David Hume Kennerly
  • Deborah Willis

Institutions

  • Danziger Gallery
  • Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust
  • AIPAD
  • Museum of Modern Art
  • Stanford Copyright Renewals Database
  • Ansel Adams Trust
  • Park Avenue Armory
  • PetaPixel
  • ArtNews
  • Adobe
  • ARTnews

Locations

  • New York
  • Hernandez
  • New Mexico
  • United States
  • New York City

Sources