Archive of Henry Lydiate‘s Artlaw column, published in Art Monthly since 1976. Have a legal question about your career? Check our Directory or send us a legal query.
Oh! My Precious
One fine day composer John Casken arose to discover that he had won the first Britten Award for composition worth £10,000. He won the money for Golem, a work for eight singers accompanied by 11 instrumentalists and…
What can I do if my work is damaged after submitting it to a third party, such as a dealer?
As well as the specialist insurers listed on Artquest, a n, Axisweb and the Society for All Artists provide insurance…
Tate Da Vinci Code Pollock
the publishers of The Da Vinci Code have successfully defended a breach of copyright claim against them in London's High Court, and the Pollock Krasner Foundation is currently in dispute with a Jackson Pollock expert…
Copyright Law
The law of copyright is vast and complicated: what follows is a brief outline of the law as it affects visual artists who should seek professional legal advice on any problems they may have. What is copyright? Copyright…
Percentage for Art: UK OK?
February’s column covered the numerous Percentage for Art schemes which have been developed in America and Europe during the past fifty years. Whether or not something is to be done in this country is a…
Down in the Flood
Well, it’s sugar for sugar And salt for salt, If you go down in the flood, It’s gonna be your own fault. * Or is it? The Conditions of Entry said: ‘Works submitted for consideration are…
What other costs might I be liable for when renting a studio?
There are a number of extra costs that you will be liable for when you rent a studio, exactly as with a residential property. These include electricity, gas,…
Private Investigations
It’s a mystery to me – the game commences for the usual fee – plus expenses confidential information – it’s in a diary this is my investigation – it’s not a public inquiry* Back from the motorway the…
Ballad of a Thin Wedge
An article from the Artlaw archive about sponsorship and the Arts. You have many contacts Among the lumberjacks To get you facts When someone attacks your imagination But nobody has any respect Anyway they already…
Space Race: Part 1
Tate Modern recently hosted a national conference profiling the role of studio and workspace provision for artists in the UK. ‘Creating Places’ was jointly funded by Arts Council England (ACE), the Cultural Industries Development Agency (CIDA),…
Taxation of Prizes and Grants
Booker, Whitbread, Turner, John Moores – are the winners of those prizes liable to pay income tax? What about other minor awards and prizes given by public and private donors? What about competitions,’buying time’ awards,…
Supplementary Benefit
Supplementary benefit is for those whose resources are insufficient to meet their requirements. Last month we looked at artists’ entitlement to unemployment benefit and their duty to make National Insurance contributions; now we must consider artists’ rights to…
Droit de Suite (2002)
The Arts Council of England recently published its Research Report on the implementation of a Directive from the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union requiring all 15 Member States to enact legislation to…
Artists’ Selling Power
The film and entertainment industries exercise strong bargaining power over non negotiating artists, or ‘hired hands’, whose marketability remains unproven and relatively low – the powerless majority. However they have had to learn to accept the bargaining…
Lofty Ideals
Studio space and living space, separate or combined, is essential and can be very difficult for visual artists to come by. ‘What kind of house is this, ‘ he said. ‘Where I have come to roam?’ ‘It’s not…
Alison Jackson’s Sven
In the media hype immediately before the start of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, a new film work by UK artist/director Alison Jackson was broadcast on Channel 4, Sven: The Cash, The Coach and His Lovers. Described…
Parliamentary Report: UK Artists’ Resale Right
The committee describes the ARR as a ‘controversial initiative to improve artists’ incomes’, that has been operating in different ways throughout most of Continental Western Europe (where it is known as droit de suite)…
Caveat Emptor
In relation to an artwork, what is the meaning of: an original a reproduction an original reproduction a multiple original a print an original print an edition a limited edition and does it matter? Some argue that it…