NYT: "She Thought Lady Gaga Bought Her Art. Then Things Got Strange."

[Nite 5,904]

"When artists become established, buying a work from them is seldom as easy as walking into a gallery and saying “I’d like that one.”"

So a few years ago, someone pretended to be Gaga and bought a painting from this artist.  It worked and they didn't realize it wasn't Gaga until they recently found the painting up for auction and contacted Bobby. The selfie "proving" it's Gaga and the email address the impersonator used sent me 

The article is paywalled, but here's the archived version: https://archive.ph/Cgmlv

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/29/arts/design/lady-gaga-art-dispute.html

The email was signed “Stefani Germanotta,” Lady Gaga’s real name. The email address, [email protected], referred to one of the pop singer’s beloved French Bulldogs, Koji.

“I am such a huge fan of your work,” said the email to Emma Webster, a Los Angeles-based landscape painter who uses virtual-reality imaging.

“I’m wondering if you might have any paintings available?” the message continued. “I’m expanding my collection which is anchored by powerful female artists such as Kusama, Frankenthaler, Louise Bourgeois, Lynda Benglis and many more. Your work would compliment it so delightfully! It would be very special. Thank you kindly and looking forward to hearing from you, Stefani.”

Webster was elated. In 2022, when she got the first email, she had just achieved a level of prominence, following three exhibitions in a row that had created a waiting list for her work. But catching the eye of Lady Gaga, whose celebrity and standing as a collector was significant, could exponentially elevate her profile.

“Wow!” she responded. “Thanks so much for the kind words. love a collection centered on female empowerment — and those are some heavy hitters!”

[bionic 50,110]

Lady Gaga is the original AI fraudster

[Pablo 8,348]

$55,000 for a painting!!!

[Pandacadabra 9,139]

Okay? And? What is this article even for? Is this a puff piece paid by the artist because why is this an article?

[PartySick 170,732]

1 minute ago, Pandacadabra said:

Okay? And? What is this article even for? Is this a puff piece paid by the artist because why is this an article?

Did you read the article  

It was a gallery owner from Hong Kong catfishing as Gaga. The artist's dad saw her painting in an auction post on Instagram and she reached out to Bobby who told her it wasn't Gaga to begin with.

Then she goes on about artists being able to control who owns their work.

[RAMROD 115,388]

See, this is why nobody realizes Superman and Clark Kent is the same person. 

[Addison Rae 17,842]

the email…oh i just know it was one of you baguettes 

[Nessun Dorma 9,528]

[email protected] 

[nATAH 54,929]

chile the email

[bionic 50,110]

10 minutes ago, PartySick said:

Did you read the article  

It was a gallery owner from Hong Kong catfishing as Gaga. The artist's dad saw her painting in an auction post on Instagram and she reached out to Bobby who told her it wasn't Gaga to begin with.

Then she goes on about artists being able to control who owns their work.

Would she have not sold it for the same price to some rando?

What's the issue

[PartySick 170,732]

2 minutes ago, bionic said:

Would she have not sold it for the same price to some rando?

What's the issue

She didn't know who she was selling it too...

Literally read the article  

She talks about artists having the right to control their work/market and the legal fight she got tangled in over it

[Decodekid 29,979]

Ok but did she get her coin? 

[bionic 50,110]

4 minutes ago, PartySick said:

She didn't know who she was selling it too...

Literally read the article  

She talks about artists having the right to control their work/market and the legal fight she got tangled in over it

I don't really have any sympathy for the 'Artists choose carefully who they want their collectors to be in order to build their market in the right way' notion

 

Sad that she was basically a victim of fraud but she DID get paid

 

If she really cared about the 'no resale within 5 years' thing it would've been contractual rather than basically an off the cuff comment after the sale was agreed and plans were arranged for exchange

Edited June 29, 2025 by bionic

[TheMontebello 965]

14 minutes ago, Addison Rae said:

the email…oh i just know it was one of you baguettes 

I want to know which one of us is rolling in cash to spend 55k in a painting

[PartySick 170,732]

17 minutes ago, TheMontebello said:

I want to know which one of us is rolling in cash to spend 55k in a painting

@River