Photographer Peter Beard Sued by His Muse

Model Natalie White, a creative director for iconic photographer Peter Beard, is suing her friend and his wife for swindling her out of her life savings. Beard, known predominantly for his rock star and supermodel photographs, is accused of breaking a lucrative contract.

It all started because of a series of Polaroid pictures. According to their initial deal, Beard asked White to organize a massive “dream team” of models to participate in a Polaroid photo shoot. There were two days of production. Beard allegedly promised White fifty signed Polaroid pictures from the shoots. Additionally, she would be entitled to $18,000 for every piece sold from the first shoot, and 60% of the revenue from the second shoot. The models who participated in the photo shoots were also promised a signed picture each.

However, according to White, none of this happened as it should have. Beard had a stroke in November and control shifted to his estranged wife Nejma Beard. Throughout the years, Nejma and Peter Beard have not been on good terms; she has such strict control of the couple’s finances that White paid $26,000 for the photographer’s dental work because Mrs. Beard would not release the funds, or so the male Beard claims.

In returning to the products of the photoshoot, Mrs. Beard refused to give White any more photographs beyond the sixteen White had previously received. White argued that she had shelled out more than $100,000 to bring this project to fruition and that Nejma Beard was cheating mega models out of their photographs as well. White also claimed that Mrs. Beard had told her husband that she fantasized about “strangling” the model muse.

Models that were part of this purported dream team included Pamela Anderson, Chanel Iman, and Alexandra Richards to name a few.

Celebrity attorney, Gloria Allred, filed the suit in Manhattan Supreme Court last week on behalf of Ms. White.

Source: NY Daily Magazine