A fashion photographer’s son has sued Madonna, saying the singer copied his late father’s images in a set of videos for her song “Hollywood.”
Samuel Bourdin claims he holds the rights to the images created by his father, Guy Bourdin, who died in 1991.
The lawsuit, filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, accuses Madonna of copyright infringement for her imitation of poses and images in at least 11 works of Bourdin, whose photos were published in French Vogue from the mid-1950s through the late 1980s.
Samuel Bourdin seeks unspecified damages from the 45-year-old pop star and companies and individuals involved in production of the videos.
A message left with a publicist for Madonna was not immediately returned.
According to the lawsuit, Bourdin is recognized as one of the most influential fashion photographers for his highly constructed compositions in unusual settings.
The lawsuit includes comparisons of Bourdin’s photographs with video images of Madonna. In one Bourdin picture, a scantily clad woman peers into a round mirror. Madonna does the same.
In another Bourdin picture, a woman squats on a floor with what appears to be a large television-size screen between her legs. Madonna does the same.
