Born October 2, 1949, Waterbury, Connecticut Her father was a Lt-Col in the USAF, she spent part of her childhood in the Philippines during the Vietnam War Studied painting at the San Francisco Art Institute and was influenced by: Robert Frank and Henri Cartier-Bresson Work History: Rolling Stone Magazine (1970) Vanity Fair, Vogue, New York Times and New Yorker Magazine American Express, Gap Ads, etc “Got Milk” - Milk Board Ads Notable Work: Photographed John Lennon 5 hours before his assassination War photography in Sarajevo and Rwanda during the early 1990’s has photographed musicians, celebrities, athletes, heads of state, etc. she is trusted, and sought after in the industry Her work and style is highly recognizable and provocative

An Artists Dilemma Read the following blog, including the links to the NY Times article and Wikipedia information on Annie Leibovitz’s financial troubles. Then prepare a half-page response arguing whether you believe Annie Leibovitz “Pawned Her Soul” (why/why not) or Provide an opinion on the legalities/logic of an artist pledging the rights to their work that does not yet exist. (from both the artist and the company perspective)

Pawning Your Soul, an Annie Leibovitz Tale February 25, 2009 in the Bec Thomas Blog: ( I have recently read a shocking news article in the New York Times about Annie Leibovitz and her financial troubles. You see she’s borrowed $15 million from a company that deals in art, no it’s not a gallery or an auction house; it’s a pawnshop. Yap I know you’re wondering what pawnshop could loan one person that much money right? It’s a company called Art Capital Group, they really make their money when someone defaults and they can resell the art work that was used as collateral at the world’s famous auction houses. In the case of Annie Leibovitz they are sitting on a huge haul.New York Times Annie Leibovitz She used as collateral her 3 townhouses in Greenwich Village, and country house, and every one of her photographic copyrights, negatives, and contract rights. When I say every single one I mean it, she pawned her future copyrights right along with the past copyrights. That’s rights people she managed to pawn her future work, meaning that until this loan is paid off this art pawn shop owns every click, snap and pop of her shutter. Essentially Art Capital Group owns Annie Leibovitz inside and out until she comes up with $15 million to buy it all back. The scary part about this is the scope. If Annie Leibovitz defaults on this loan, then she will never gain ownership of her photos, possibly for the rest of her life. She has pimped away her livelihood and talent. If she defaults on this pawn loan then anytime she clicks she’d have to hand it over to Art Capital Group. Due to her financial mismanagement, which is a common theme here in America, Annie L sold her soul for 15 million dollars to pay off mortgages and other debt. So tell me how much is your soul worth? I personally feel my future is worth more than a material 15 million that is already mostly spent.