The family of renowned Belarus-born artist, Leonid Afremov, who passed away in 2019, has become embroiled in a buzz over the sale of AI-generated art that bears a striking resemblance to Afremov’s signature work. This situation came to light when Jon Neimeister, lead artist for Blizzard’s Hearthstone video game, stumbled across the sale of AI-art pieces on Afremov’s official website, managed by his family.
Among the faux-Afremov works was a piece called ‘Frog With Butterfly Wings’, which was labeled as “AI generated” and sold for US$99 (AU$149). Upon closer scrutiny, the artwork was found to have inconsistencies, such as unevenly portrayed frog legs and the absence of the water reflection of the frog’s wings. Irrespective of it being AI-generated, the artwork was marketed as a “100% UNIQUE hand-painted ONE-OF-A-KIND ORIGINAL OIL PAINTING ON CANVAS,” supposedly signed by the artist and coming with a certificate of authenticity.
Another AI-generated artwork being sold under similar conditions included a piece titled ‘Owls Flying in a Starry Night’. The website also hosts original hand-painted pieces by Afremov himself, along with the AI-generated ones that mimic his style.
In the face of mounting questions, David Afremov, son of the late artist, affirmed his family’s legal ownership of Leonid Afremov’s intellectual property. He mentioned that the family has “full legal rights to sell, copy, [and] recreate paintings of Leonid Afremov.” He also revealed that Leonid had given his consent to the use of his work for generating AI art.
David stated that while his father and he were planning on developing AI paintings in Afremov’s style, a team of 20 artists, some of whom draw inspiration from AI images, assists him in creating new and unique art which is subsequently sold under their individual names.
It has become a standard practice in the entertainment industry for families to inherit the intellectual property rights of an artist after their demise. Similarly, Afremov’s family is legally entitled to adapt, or recreate his work using AI technology. Refuting claims that he was tampering with his father’s legacy, David Afremov defended his position by saying that his artists drew inspiration from AI and employed Photoshop to enhance the artwork, making it unique and original.
David Afremov is convinced that what they are doing is not just legally permissible, but also ethical. He feels that this approach of leveraging technology allows art to achieve immortality and helps in preserving his father’s artistic legacy.
