Basquiat Estate Lawyer Orders Website to Remove Nude Photos of Artist

The Basquiat Estate lawyer James P. Cinque reached out to Internet site Animal New York asking it to immediately take down photographs it published in 2014 which depict the artist naked on a mattress. Cinque argues that the images “disparage Mr. Basquiat and are prurient in nature. The photos were taken by Basquiat’s ex-girlfriend,  Paige Powell.

Bucky Turco, who was the owner of Animal New York before the site was shuttered in July, had this to say about the request: “There’s a reason why lawyers are lawyers and not art critics. The request to remove the photos is absurd. He has no legal standing. Also, anyone who uses the word ‘prurient,’ should never be taken seriously,” he said.

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