Marina Abramovic issues apology over Jay Z criticism

Officials from acclaimed performance artist Marina Abramovic's Institute have issued a statement apologizing to Jay Z after she claimed the rapper 'used' her for his 2013 single, Picasso Baby.

Abramovic called out the hip-hop mogul in a recent interview with Spike Art Magazine, accusing Jay Z of not going through with a deal they made two years ago, when he used her popular The Artist Is Present exhibition and film as inspiration for his 10-minute music video.

Abramovic, who briefly appeared in the promo, was personally thanked in the end credits of the Mark Romanek-directed video, but alleged, "Jay Z adapted my work only under one condition: that he would help my institute, which he didn't. He just completely used me. And that wasn't fair. I was very p**sed."

"In the end it was only a one-way transaction. I will never do it again, that I can say. Never. I was really naive in this kind of world. It was really new to me, and I had no idea that this would happen. It's so cruel, it's incredible. I will stay away from it for sure."

After the article was published, Jeanne Greenberg-Rohatyn, the video's producer and Jay Z's art adviser, took to artnetNews with a donation receipt, proving the rapper gave monetary funds to the artist's Marina Abramovic Institute.

On Wednesday (20May15), officials from the Marina Abramovic Institute, a space dedicated to performance art and education, released a statement apologizing for the founder's comments, insisting she was not made aware of the donation.

The statement reads: "Marina Abramovic was not informed of Shawn 'Jay Z' Carter's donation from two years ago when she recently did an interview with Spike Magazine in Brazil.

"We are sincerely sorry to both Marina Abramovic and Shawn 'Jay Z' Carter for this, and since then we have taken to appropriate actions to reconcile this matter."