The Obamas pose for Annie Leibovitz. Will it help her avoid bankruptcy?
The photo was released by the White House today, the official portrait of the current occupants of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. -- President Obama, 8-year-old Sasha, First Lady Michelle Obama and 11-year-old Malia. The photo was taken Sept. 1, and the subjects were all smiles.
The back story is anything but. Leibovitz is best known for her celebrity photos -- like the famous one she did of John Lennon and Yoko Ono the day the former Beatle was gunned down, or the one she did of a pregnant Demi Moore, posing nude.
But lately the photographer to the stars has been embroiled in a financial mess that could lead to bankruptcy and the loss of her photographic catalog. As Gawker.com put it, the Obama photo was taken one week before Leibovitz's deadline to repay a $24-million loan to "high-end artsharks Art Capital Group."
Apparently, she managed to negotiate a deal to extend the due date and retain control of her catalog, at least for now.
In the meantime, a spokesman said the White House did not pay for the photos, but did provide "behind-the-scene access."
-- Johanna Neuman
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How does a photographer come up with a need for 24 million dollars? That's insane. I may be naive, but I can't wrap my head around that.
Posted by: clay | October 23, 2009 at 11:00 AM