A brief overview of right of publicity in art

Artsy’s Isaac Kaplan,

Laws regarding the right of publicity vary from state to state, but generally they allow people to have commercial control over their persona and likeness. The logic is simple enough: Only you should get to profit from your image, and others shouldn’t be able to use it for economic gain without your permission. There are exceptions, notably instances in which the use of an image is in the public interest, such as in a newspaper.

More here.