New Labour Arts Policies
This issue will be the last before the forthcoming General Election and so, as we have done over the past 20 years, we will try to explore the likely policies of the party that looks most…
Estates
Three apparently unlinked events were reported in the media during the past month. On closer examination they reveal an interesting common thread: the death on March 4, 2003, of Francis Bacon’s sole beneficiary; recent reports from Romania of further…
What issues should I be aware of if I wish to use photographs in collage / painting?
Where photographic images are used merely as a starting point, and you do not intend that the final image closely resemble the essential…
New UK Legislation Part 1
Significant changes were made to UK copyright law on October 31, 2003, of which copyright owners, licensees, and other would be users of copyright works need to be aware. The Copyright and Related Rights Regulations…
Between Thought and an Expression
Two different copyright queries have been received, the responses to which should prove interesting and informative. “I was recently commissioned to produce a set of line drawings for a company who wanted to reproduce and…
The Boyle Family
Mark Boyle interviewed by Henry Lydiate Henry Lydiate’s Artlaw Column appeared in the first issue of Art Monthly when he first met Mark Boyle and his family. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Artlaw and the opening…
Dealing in Fakes
Since the criminal prosecution of the late and celebrated Tom Keating in the 80s, the UK has not experienced serious allegations of sales of forged or counterfeit artworks although there was in recent years an allegation made…
Constitutions
A constitution is simply a document laying out and explaining the governing rules and aims of an organisation. It also explains the form of the organisation and the limts of its power. This is a list of the most…
How do I get my gallery / dealer to return unsold works?
You will be in a more difficult situation if the relationship between you and your dealer / gallery has broken down, and if you do not have a…
Claim it From DACS
£300,000 is available to meet artists’ claims for unauthorised use of their copyright works by publishers and broadcasters in the UK. The money has been collected by the DACS, the Design and Artists Copyright Society, which…
Copying by Universities
The new year ushered in several important judicial decisions dealing with artlaw matters, including the Bacon Estate; the Sotheby’s and Christie’s so called ‘price fixing’ case; payments to artists of royalty fees by UK Universities; and Gilbert…
Artist statement
An artist’s statement is a short piece of writing about your work. Artist’s statements are as varied and diverse as the art they describe. The following guidelines are suggestions and observations rather than hard and fast rules. Artist…
Invitations
Invitations to private views and talks are a good way to attract new audiences. Printed invitations have fallen out of favour recently. The cost of printing and posting them has become prohibitive for many artists. Artist’s now often focus…
Knockin’ on Hebborns Door
A new faker king has been crowned. Mama take this badge off of me I can’t use it any more. It’s gettin’ dark, too dark for me to see I feel like I’m knockin’ on heavens…
Public Images
‘Public image, you got what you wanted, public image belongs to me, it’s my entrance, my own creation.’* This week I was approached by Recession Pictures who, despite having a name fresh from Britain in the eighties, have…
Heath and Safety
If you have a studio the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 will apply to your use of it, as the regulations apply to all places of work, and this includes an artist’s studio. An overview…
Freedom of Expression: part 2
In cases of both import and export, what is obscene is a matter for the customs officers, in the first place, and then for a jury to decide; it is not the same as the…
Percentage for Art
Come gather round people Wherever you roam* From Ancient China, Classical Greece and Rome, the Renaissance through to the Bauhaus, the collaboration between art and architecture has been a vital, significant and evident feature within society. The…