SuicideGirls model says artist stole her sexy Instagram pic and sold it for $90,000

Artist Richard Prince took photos off of people’s personal Instagram accounts and turned them into what he has called art. Some of his subjects were photos from the tattooed pin-up collective SuicideGirls’ Instagram account. Prince reportedly sold at least one repurposed SuicideGirls Instagram photo for $90,000, without ever asking permission. Group founder Missy Suicide joined us in our FOX411 LA studio — even though she was fighting a nasty cold — to talk about intellectual property rights in the digital age.

FOX411: When did you learn Richard Prince used your photos? What was your reaction?

Missy Suicide: The Tuesday after Memorial Day we started to get all these people sending us articles from the Washington Post to the Guardian and the New York Times that all featured our image in the artwork for the article. We were like, “What is going on? What is this?” I never heard of Richard Prince before. So, I quickly learned that he sold one of my images for $90,000.

FOX411: You took him to task on Instagram. Tell us about your back and forth.

Suicide: My response to him taking our image was to put up the image and sell if for $90, the exact same print. And he had taken a number of images from a number of SuicideGirls, not just the official SuicideGirls image, so we contacted them as well to see if they wanted to make their images available for $90 as well.

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Everyone has been asking me what I thought about famous controversial artist Richard Prince taking a series of SuicideGirls Instagram posts and printing them out and selling them at a recent gallery show at the Gagosian Gallery of Beverly Hills for $90,000 a piece. My first thought was I don’t know anyone who can spend $90,000 on anything other than a house. Maybe I know a few people who can spend it on a car. As to the copyright issue? If I had a nickel for every time someone used our images without our permission in a commercial endeavor I’d be able to spend $90,000 on art. I was once really annoyed by Forever 21 selling shirts with our slightly altered images on them, but an Artist? Richard Prince is an artist and he found the images our girls and we publish on Instagram as representative of something worth commenting on, part of the zeitgeist, I guess? Thanks Richard! Do we have Mr. Prince’s permission to sell these prints? We have the same permission from him that he had from us. ;) I’m just bummed that his art is out of reach for people like me and the people portrayed in the art he is selling. So we at SuicideGirls are going to sell the exact same prints people payed $90,000 for $90 each. I hope you love them. Beautiful Art, 99.9% off the original price. ;) https://suicidegirls.com/shop/instagram-art-1/ https://suicidegirls.com/shop/instagram-art-2/ https://suicidegirls.com/shop/instagram-art-3/ https://suicidegirls.com/shop/instagram-art-4/ https://suicidegirls.com/shop/instagram-art-5/ Urban art publisher Eyes On Walls (EyesOnWalls.com) is supporting the project by fulfilling the large canvas reproductions at cost. We will be donating the profits from sales to EFF.org. xoxo Missy Check out Missy's AMA happening right now! http://redd.it/37hzrn

A post shared by SuicideGirls 💋 (@suicidegirls) on May 27, 2015 at 1:10pm PDT

FOX411: Some are saying Prince did this to test copyright laws. What do you think his motivation is?

Suicide: His whole MO as an artist has been to test copyright laws, but before this he’s stolen from corporations or artists that were at his level, and now he’s stealing from 20-year-old punk rock girls, and this is their only form of self-expression. So, to steal it and to sell it for that much money is crazy.

FOX411: Should there be legal recourse against Prince?

Suicide: I think if anyone should sue him it should be Instagram.

FOX411: You’re selling your pictures now – the same ones Prince sold – and are planning to donate the money to the Electronic Frontier Foundation – what does the foundation promote?

Suicide: They promote electronic freedom in the media. They protect your rights and they challenge issues like these and are supporters of “fair use.”