Jeanette Hayes is a 29-year-old New York based artist. Her work focuses on internet and pop culture, often blending the two with classic art styles.
Hayes' art career has been described being "as bright as her aura," and the artist has been profiled in i-D, the New York Times, and Playboy.
Last week, the band MGMT revealed the art for their new album Little Dark Age, which appeared to use art by Japanese artist Suehiro Maruo.
no you fucking dont @jeanettehayes you literally stole this from Suehiro Maruo like all the other shit you steal fr… https://t.co/mZsKI9GgLx
A Twitter user going by @kazuwabe, joked that MGMT's album art was actually created by Hayes.
Hayes joked back that she was behind the album cover and people got mad. A tweet with a screenshot of her response has been retweeted 4,000 times.
Hayes' "yes" tweet has since been deleted.
no you fucking dont @jeanettehayes you literally stole this from Suehiro Maruo like all the other shit you steal fr… https://t.co/mZsKI9GgLx
MGMT quickly took to Twitter to clarify that the album art had been licensed from Maruo. The reason this whole controversy even happened, however, is because Hayes has been accused of copying from Maruo in the past.
@adamjk hey Adam - There was no involvement with @jeanettehayes for the little dark age art. The image was legally licensed from Maruo.
The wasn't the first time @kazuwabe tweeted about the similarities between Hayes' and Maruo's work. He brought up the issue a month prior, in September.
@artinfodotcom First two images are originals by Suehiro Maruo; last image is Jeanette Hayes
@kazuwabe tweeted about the similarities between Hayes' and Maruo's work in September.
"But unlike her Pokemon or Sailor Moon mash-ups," he said, "her use of Maruo's images are simply plagiarism and need to be called out as such."
His tweet was only one of a number of tweets from different users alleging that Hayes was copying work from various Japanese artists and repurposing it as her own.
Hey @jeanettehayes can you explain the "similarities" between your art and this piece by @shintarokago ? by similar… https://t.co/vZFQdjE9ia
This was only one in a number of tweets from different users alleging that Hayes was copying work from various Japanese artists and repurposing it as her own.
Kago told BuzzFeed News that he is regularly reached out to by other people to obtain permission to use his art, but has never been contacted by Hayes. "I looked up Jeanette Hayes on my e-mail, Twitter DM, and Facebook Messenger, but none of them matched; so I never had a conversation with her," he said. "In regards to the incident, I haven’t heard anything from her as of now."
Hayes has since deleted this Instagram post.
In one post, it seems that Hayes may have simply screenshotted another artist's work.
@EgotisticalKarp @jeanettehayes It looks like here's another uncredited repost from this artist:… https://t.co/K55nkHZQ4n
Okina told BuzzFeed News: "Ms. Hayes did not reach out to me, nor did she ask for permission to use my work."
The drawing above remains on Hayes' Instagram.
She has also been accused of doing the same to New York-based artist Dina Brodsky.
more theft I see?@jeanettehayes this time fro Dina Brodsky, tsk tsk! https://t.co/40IbQSxFuO
BuzzFeed News reached out to Brodsky about the incident. Brodsky said that she thought Hayes had started to use the image "at a time when my account was small and no one really knew about my work."
"I actually found her work via an article about up-and-coming young artists, looked her up, and was surprised and upset to find my work represented as hers," she said. "I believe I wrote her to ask her about it but she never responded, and never took down the image or gave me credit for it."
The above post also remains on Hayes' Instagram without credit.
And throughout Twitter, there are numerous examples of Hayes lifting from other artists' work without credit.
Oh crazy, that Jeanette Hayes woman even went after old Deviantart homie dpdagger. https://t.co/WePAW3aZs2
BuzzFeed News has reached out to Darrin Perry and Romeo gallery for comment.
Or this picture that Hayes created for the same exhibition that appears to have been traced from the Sailor Moon manga.
LMAO Jeanette Hayes traced the iconic Rei x Minako moment from the Sailor Moon manga
BuzzFeed News has contacted Sailor Moon's publishers for comment.
The recent string of posts about Hayes aren't the first time she has been accused of profiting from others' work without credit or acknowledgement. Animal New York published a piece in 2014 about Hayes painting another artists' meme, and then selling it at auction.
While Hayes has many critics, she remains supported by galleries. One Twitter user shared a screenshot of New York's Castor Gallery defending Hayes' work.
re: jeanette hayes, the artist that does shit repros of suehiro maruo paintings - boycott Castor Gallery who sell t… https://t.co/JHbXpn566q
BuzzFeed News has reached out to Castor Gallery for comment.
People are also sharing this VFILES video from 2012, where Hayes joked that everything on the internet was hers for the taking.
View this video on YouTube
“When you put something on the internet, it's mine," Hayes says. "And this goes for images, tweets, videos, anything. I'll take it and make it mine. Thank you."
Hayes has declined multiple requests for comment.
BuzzFeed News attempted to contact Hayes via email, direct message, and phone. Hayes also blocked the reporter of this article on Twitter.