A visual artist has accused Cardi B of stealing his work without permission after she dressed as Marge Simpson wearing Thierry Mugler for Halloween.
The American rapper released a slideshow of photographs with her 143 million Instagram followers on October 31, including one of herself dressed as Marge in a raunchy Thierry Mugler dress and another of the artwork that inspired the look. The photographer Jora Frantzis and Cardi B‘s stylist Kollin Carter shared the same slideshow.
The Italian Pop artist aleXsandro Palombo produced the work in 2013 as part of his series Marge Simpsons Style Icon, although his identity was not included in the post. Claudio Volpi, an attorney specializing in intellectual property law, has agreed to pursue legal action against Cardi B on behalf of the artist.
“Cardi B has illegitimately copied the work of Alessandro Palombo for purely commercial goals in violation of the most simple regulations on copyright and Instagram restrictions,” he said in a statement.
“This poses major implications for her public image, both in terms of recompense and disrepute.”
Volpi informed Artnet News that aleXsandro Palombo contacted Carter, Frantzis, and Atlantic Records’ PR staff through his publicist but only received a response from Frantzis, who stated she would be “glad to add the credits” despite not being aware of the artist behind the painting.
In response, the artist demanded that all parties create a “remedial” post with correct attribution and a link to his Instagram feed. This most recent communication has yet to receive an answer.
Volpi has submitted a formal notification to the same recipients and Craig Kallman, the chairman of Atlantic Records, requesting that they publish the follow-up post and correct the original article within seven days of receiving the notice. He has threatened legal action that will include a demand for compensation for aleXsandro Palombo if they do not cooperate.
Palombo’s artwork was inspired by an image of a model wearing a dress by French fashion designer Thierry Mugler from 1995, which includes cutouts in the back that expose the woman’s derriere.
This was one of several reimaginings of Marge Simpson by the artist, all of which were inspired by significant pop culture fashion moments, such as the Union Jack dress worn by Geri Halliwell of the Spice Girls, Kate Moss posing for Playboy, and Audrey Hepburn’s black Givenchy dress from Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
The series was reportedly conceived by aleXsandro Palombo as a “reflection on women’s emancipation and gender equality” and was unveiled for the first time in Vogue U.K. The creator has said that Cardi B’s unauthorized use of his work diminished its original significance.
Cardi B is one of the modern figures credited with bringing back Mugler’s 1980s and ’90s fierce fashion. She made headlines when she attended the 2019 Grammy’s wearing a garment from his A/W 1995 design that resembled Botticelli’s Birth of Venus.
In 2021, when she wore an elaborate crimson dress from the same collection to the inauguration of the retrospective “Thierry Mugler, Couturissime” at the Musée des arts décoratifs in Paris, she once again dug into his archives.
Artnet News reached out to Cardi B’s team for comment on the allegations but did not receive a response immediately.
