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)…
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…
Morals, Mores & Minors
Lewis Carroll and Edgar Degas in the 19th Century, Balthazar Klossowski (Balthus) and Robert Mapplethorpe in the 20th Century, and Tierney Gearon and Annalies Strba at the beginning of this century, each produced artworks that were…
Damage to Work
Damage to work can be a real problem, particularly when it’s discovered during a show. Although artists and galleries tend to rely on insurance companies to pay for restoration costs, there have been an increasing number of…
The Momart Fire
At 3.40am on Monday May 24 2004 fire fighters received the alarm call, and the blaze at one of Momart’s warehouses lasted five days. Media coverage was extensive and worldwide, for what was a devastating single act…
Public art commissions and the law
An artist commission is when artist is paid to create a new piece of work. It’s important artists understand their legal rights when undertaking a commission. A commission might take the form of Commissions…
ArtlawTV: David Mabb on Art and Appropriation
Art and Appropriation – when does artistic freedom become copyright infringement Artist David Mabb considers works in his practice, including a run in with Magnum Photos and appropriating the work of William Morris.…
One of my works was damaged while on display in a gallery.
Can the gallery deduct any money from the insurance claim as commission? As the work has been damaged while on display, the gallery has neglected their duty of…
Gallery education
One of the many ways that artists can earn a living is working in a gallery education programme. Gallery education programmes often run in publicly funded spaces. They are a way for the gallery to engage with their…
A Developing Global Framework
Copyright laws were created in direct response to the development of industrial technologies that enabled unique paintings and drawings to be copied and mechanically reproduced in multiple numbers. The development of engraving and multiple printing techniques…
Dragon’s Dance
This is the tale of Dragon’s Dance. It is a sculpture by Liliane Lijn sited at the landscaped entrance to a new Marks & Spencer shopping centre at Culverhouse Cross, Cardiff in Wales. ‘Senor, Senor, I can see…
Mortality/Immortality
The Getty Conservation Institute recently organised a unique conference in Los Angeles, California, under the title ‘Mortality/Immortality: The Legacy of 20th Century Art’ to debate whether and, if so, how many contemporary works should be conserved. It was addressed…
Tax tips for artists
4 out of 5 artists are set to pay more tax than they need to each year. People in Britain overspend £7.6 billion in unnecessary tax every year. It’s a scary statistic. So how can artists…
Three Short and Unrelated Matters
Three short and unrelated matters are tackled this month: Contractual Relationships, Public Lending Right and Solicitors’ Advertising. Paper Promises How many contracts have you made today? Bet you travelled on a bus, tube, train, bought…
In Defence of the Image
Does copyright law stifle creativity, or does it protect and encourage creativity by enforcing the legal and moral rights of original authors? ‘A good composer does not imitate, he steals.’ Igor Stravinsky T S Eliot…
New UK Legislation Part 2
Amended ‘permitted acts’: criticism, review, and news reporting Fair dealing with copyright works for the purposes of criticism or review have long been ‘permitted acts’, provided a sufficient acknowledgement of the copyright owner accompanied any…
Working as an artist: part I
On the evening of October 4 1979, in London, Eduardo Paolozzi (EP), his assistant Marlee Robinson (MR), John Hoyland (JH) and Brian Clarke (BC) met and recorded a discussion with lawyer Henry Lydiate (HL)…
Back to The Future
It was 20 years ago today when Peter Townsend told me he was launching a new visual arts magazine, and invited me to contribute what he hoped might become a regular column dealing with current legal…