Brad Pitt is furious that a photograph of him taken by artist Robert Wilson last year has wound up on the cover of an issue of Vanity Fair.
The star's lawyers are currently considering legal action against the magazine, insisting the actor had no idea he was going to appear on the December cover.
Pitt is seen posing in a blue-colored photo in nothing but white boxer shorts, socks and holding a gun while appearing to be drenched with water.
According to entertainment Web site TMZ.com, Pitt had agreed to be in Wilson's avant-garde video art project in September and signed a legal release at the time for the still and video images taken in the shoot, but had no idea they would ever be used for a magazine cover.
Pitt's representative says, "We are very disappointed that Vanity Fair has chosen to put an unauthorized cover on their magazine. It seriously makes me question their integrity and motives."
Representatives for Vanity Fair have hit back at the allegations saying, "In a letter dated October 5, 2006, and sent to Pitt care of Brillstein-Grey (Pitt's managers), Wilson informed Pitt that a still image from this portrait was going to be featured in the December art issue of Vanity Fair."
A source claims the star never saw the letter.
The Vanity Fair representative adds, "Brad Pitt posed for a Robert Wilson video portrait, and in the photo release (signed by Pitt), agreed to allow Wilson to use the portrait or any images from that sitting in connection with any publicity on Wilson's video project.
"Vanity Fair decided to do a story on Wilson's video portraits and obtained rights to the entire collection of photographs from those sittings, which included Pitt's."
sfgate