An artist and former professor at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in Manhattan has been accused of taking and posting thousands of unsolicited photographs of strangers, primarily on New York City subway trains. Brian Appel, who identifies himself as "Faculty Emeritus" at SVA, has allegedly uploaded tens of thousands of images to his Facebook account over more than two years, according to reports.
The collection reportedly includes photographs of couples, friends, and individuals, with some images featuring children and numerous women in "tight and revealing clothes," according to one parent whose daughters were identified in Appel's collection. The parent described the practice as "very creepy" and "very scary for women."
Courtney Fitzpatrick, a mother of two daughters aged 25 and 18, stated that she discovered her daughters in Appel's collection, with one photo posted in January 2026 and another in July 2025. Fitzpatrick noted that one of her daughters was depicted crying, while the other was clearly a minor at the time the photo was taken. Fitzpatrick expressed concern that the detailed location and timestamp information accompanying the images could pose a safety risk.
Appel reportedly responded positively when Fitzpatrick asked him to remove her daughters' photos, and he did so. However, he continued to post new pictures the following day. Fitzpatrick also observed that many of the photos seemed to focus on women in a way she described as an attempt "to make them look bad or something."
While it is not illegal to photograph strangers in public spaces in New York City without their consent, Appel's extensive online collection has drawn criticism. The frequency of his posting reportedly increased significantly in recent months, with as many as a dozen photos per day. His self-identification as an SVA faculty member led some to direct anger towards the art school, demanding his termination.
SVA has denied that Appel holds emeritus status and confirmed that he is no longer employed by the institution. "Brian Appel is no longer employed by SVA and does not hold emeritus faculty status," a representative for SVA told The Post.
Appel's employment at SVA concluded in August 2025, after 15 years. He did not respond to requests for comment from The Post. In a comment on his own Facebook post, Appel described his photographic process: "Each one of my photographs is really 2 pictures. The 1st is the way they are posted as half body shots where you get information about their clothes and accessories which will date the images in the future and what you discovered is that when you zoom in on the face you get an intimate look into what’s happening in their head."