Memorandum submitted by the Department
for Culture, Media and Sport
I. INTRODUCTION
The Department welcomes the Select Committee's
interest in the United Kingdom's art market, living artists[53]and
the production of new work and can offer the following information
about the Government's involvement in this area.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport
has no formal role in sponsoring the art trade. The Department
does, however, undertake an informal role as champion on particular
issues that affect the UK's art market. This includes, for example,
representations to the European Commission about the financial
values at which cultural objects require an export licence under
European Union. Other individual issues, relating to the art trade,
are taken up by Departments with the relevant policy lead.
II. AN OVERVIEW
OF THE
ART MARKET
IN THE
UK[54]
UK Market Size: The most recent study of the
art market, undertaken in 2001 by the European Fine Art Foundation
(a body supported by the British Art Market Federation), indicated
that the UK art and antiques market was then worth around £4.2
billion, split roughly 50-50 between auctioneers and dealers.
This represented 25% of the global market, with the UK second
only in size to the US. In the UK there were 9,500 art dealers
and 750 auction houses.
Employment: The same study found that the market
employed 28,000 full time and 9,000 part time staff.
International Critical Acclaim: The UK art market
receives considerable press coverage at home and overseas, and
its activities generate significant public interest.
Growing the Sector: In a flexible global marketplace,
in which vendors have considerable freedom to choose the which
country in which to sell goods, the UK must remain competitive
in terms of price in order to attract works of art to Britain
for sale elsewhere.
The UK market is currently in a strong position
in this respect. The international market accounts for around
50% of industry revenues and is therefore vital to the future
prosperity of the industry.
The industry believes that the principal issues
which will help determine its position in that market in the future
concern the EU harmonisation measures (eg droit de suite,
see Question 5) and is lobbying strongly against any measures
which could adversely affect its international competitiveness.
1. WHAT ARE
THE MOST
SIGNIFICANT INITIATIVES
UNDERTAKEN BY
THE DCMS TO
ENCOURAGE THE
DEVELOPMENT OF
NEW ARTISTS
AND INNOVATIVE
ART?
DCMS funding for the Arts is channelled through
the Arts Council England, which operates at arm's length from
Government. All organisational and funding decisions are taken
free from Ministerial influence.
DCMS, through Arts Council England (ACE), encourages
the development of new artists and innovative art. ACE has a central
role in supporting the development of the visual arts. Exchequer
funding in the arts has increased from £186 million in 1997-98
to £411 million in 2005-06, a real terms increase of 73%.
DCMS is particularly committed to enhancing
access to opportunities for young people, ensuring they get the
opportunity to develop their talents, whether in the visual or
other artforms, and promoting lifelong learning and participation.
Our overarching strategy for arts education is to identify coherent
pathways for young people, whatever their background or financial
means, to progress from:
— to opportunities to deepen their
interest or develop their talent;
— to support for the most talented;
and
— to making a living in the arts.
Current work under our key priorities for visual
art includes:
First access to Visual Arts
DCMS is investing at least £151 million
up to 2008 in the Creative Partnerships (CPs) programme, a national
initiative to develop sustainable partnerships between schools
and creative and cultural organisations and individuals. There
have been 964 visual arts-based projects supported by CPs to date.
For example, CPs in Durham/Sunderland run a project called "Creative
Spaces" with artist Lothar Götz. Lothar is working with
staff and pupils at Westlea Primary School in Sunderland to create
an inspiring communal entrance area for the school. Using blocks
of brilliant colour and often dividing walls into bands and grids,
Lothar devises special colour schemes to accentuate the particular
characteristics of the buildings he works with. Lothar Gotz
uses walls as canvases to create "walk-in" three-dimensional
abstract paintings, so that when encountering his works one feels
to be inside fields of saturated pigment. Each work is conceived
specifically for the place for which it is realised, and each
is on an architectural scale, rather than that of conventional
painting. Gotz is Senior Lecturer at the University of Sunderland.
The popular Artsmark scheme, managed by ACE,
seeks to recognise schools in England for their arts provision
and requires them to dedicate a minimum amount of time per week
to art and design and to provide additional out of hours opportunities
in art and design/the visual arts. By May 2004, a total of 2,708
primary, secondary and special schools—were Artsmark schools.
27% of all secondary schools are Artsmark schools.
Deepening interest and developing talent
The Young People's Arts Award provides a means
for young people aged 13-25 to increase and sustain their participation
and enjoyment in the arts. The Award is currently being piloted
by Arts Council England (ACE) in over 100 settings across the
country. ACE has allocated £700,000 in 2005-06 to roll out
the programme nationally, with further funding to follow;
There are now 304 Specialist Arts Colleges,
many of which will be offering high quality visual arts experiences.
They are also having a positive impact on first access to the
visual arts in their feeder primary schools.
Support for the most talented
The national programme for gifted and talented
education, led by DfES, is designed to support gifted children
and young people aged up to 19 in all schools and colleges throughout
England. It provides support for those with ability in a range
of different fields, including the artistically talented.
Support for artistically talented young people
is offered at local level through the gifted and talented strands
of the Excellence in Cities, Excellence Clusters and Aim Higher—all
designed to improve the education of those from relatively disadvantaged
backgrounds. At regional level, London Gifted and Talented (part
of the London Challenge) is developing support for pupils and
teachers across London and this includes provision for the artistically
talented. At national level, support and guidance for educators
of artistically talented pupils has been provided through the
online resource at www.creativegeneration.co.uk[55]and
the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth are beginning
to engage the arts sector more systematically in providing outreach
activities for the artistically talented.
Making a living in the arts
DCMS has been a keen champion and a member of
the development group for the Creative and Cultural Industries
Sector Skills Council. The new body, Creative & Cultural Skills,
is an industry-led organisation which aims to have real influence
over the supply of education and skills across the UK.
It will ensure that employers and individuals
have access to high quality education and skills. It will aim
to increase the vocational relevance of qualifications on offer
and provide students with informed choice on courses and career
pathways.
The National Endowment for Science, Technology
and the Arts (NESTA), was established in 1998 to help create a
vibrant, dynamic culture and economy by supporting and promoting
innovation and creativity in the UK. To this end, their aims are
to help talented individuals reach their potential, to help innovative
ideas reach the market, and to contribute to public knowledge
and appreciation of science, technology and the arts. NESTA run
a series of programmes supporting innovation and creativity, two
examples of which are:
— the NESTA Creative Pioneer Programme,
which focuses on the creative industries and the unique issues
facing individuals wanting to practice in the areas of design
and the moving image. The programme offers opportunities for personal
and professional development for creative graduates who are at
the entry stages of their career. The programme offers a residential
course where graduates receive personal coaching alongside intensive
experiential training in business practice. They then have the
opportunity to win an award of up to £35,000 in start up
finance; and
— the NESTA Fellowship Programme which
is aimed at providing exceptional individuals with the time, space
and resources to pursue their creative goals, undertake speculative
research, experiment, break new ground and develop their talent.
Help is in both cash and kind with support tailored to individual
needs. 20-50 "Fellows" are selected each year, with
awards of up to £75,000 spread over three to five years.
NESTA also has a pilot fellowship project "Ignite",
launched in autumn 2003, for exceptionally creative young people
aged between 10 and 21 years old. This is being piloted in 2003-04
and aims to reach young people "whose creative ability leaves
you standing" and provide them with opportunities to develop
their potential.
2. WHAT IS
THE GOVERNMENT
DOING TO
IMPROVE GREATER
AWARENESS AND
INTEREST IN
CONTEMPORARY ART
AMONG THE
WIDER PUBLIC?
Due to a combination of free entry and capital
investment in new gallery spaces, many more people have been able
to enjoy and experience contemporary art. Since the opening of
Tate Modern, with free admission, in May 2000 and the introduction
of free admission at the V&A, in combination with the opening
of the British Galleries, the number of visits to DCMS-sponsored
Art Galleries has increased by 6 million per annum from 9 million
to over 15 million (an increase of 67%). This national trend has
been further enhanced by the provision of new gallery spaces in
the regions, such as the Baltic in Gateshead and the Walsall Art
Gallery. Many contemporary regional galleries, such as the Ikon
in Birmingham also provide free access.
These galleries mount regular exhibitions of
cutting edge contemporary art, widely supported by the public.
Examples of the programmes National Galleries
are running to promote greater awareness and interest in contemporary
art are:
Tate
The Tate has a range of programmes designed
to promote greater awareness and interest in contemporary art
among the wider public. These include:
— the Turner Prize, an annual exhibition
celebrating British contemporary art practice by artists under
the age of 50 at Tate Britain;
— the Liverpool Biennial, a biennial
exhibition of international contemporary art, the centre-piece
of which is held at Tate Liverpool;
— the Untitled programme at Tate Modern,
a series of small scale projects by international artists;
— the Art Now programme at Tate Britain,
a series of small scale projects by British based artists;
— regular displays of contemporary
artists within the general loan exhibition programme at each site
(eg Tony Caro retrospective at Tate Britain, Richard Wentworth
at Tate Liverpool, Callum Innes at Tate St Ives, Time Zones at
Tate Modern); and
— a significant element of the annual
acquisition budget is dedicated to purchasing work by contemporary
artists. However, it should be noted that the purchasing power
of the acquisition budget has declined markedly over the last
20 years and it is increasingly difficult for Tate to acquire
work by leading contemporary British artists.
National Gallery
The National Gallery:
— has a programme of Associate Artists
who work with the collection for two years and then display the
resulting work to the public in an exhibition: "John Virtue—the
London paintings", the next in the series, opens in March;
— displays the work of other contemporary
artists from time to time: the next, "Tom Hunter", an
exhibition of photographs, opens in December 2005;
— encourages people to draw or paint
in front of its pictures;
— runs drawing and painting courses
and practical art workshops for adults, families and children
on a regular basis;
— displays the work of those who take
part in our community projects (eg the work of young women in
prison at Bullwood Hall was displayed in "The Space@NG");
and
— takes part in and promotes events
such as "The Big Draw".
National Portrait Gallery
The National Portrait Gallery offers national
level exposure to artists in three principal ways:
— the Schweppes Photographic Portrait
Prize (open to all around the world: nearly 8,000 images submitted
in 2004);
— the BP Portrait Award and Travel
Award exhibition (presently with an eligibility of artists under
40; open to all around the world; 900 submitted portraits in 2004);
and
— the National Portrait Gallery annual
commissions programme in which seven or eight commissions are
offered to artists each year, to create new works of art for the
national collection.
Victoria and Albert Museums (V&A)
The V&A collects and displays a broad range
of the contemporary visual and decorative/applied arts, architecture,
design, craft and fashion. Objects range from unique crafted artefacts
to items of mass consumption and production. Many contemporary
artists and designers cite the V&A's collections as being
an inspiration for their work eg Vivienne Westwood, Simon Periton,
Jean Paul Gaultier, Sir Paul Smith, Gillian Wearing, Jeremy Deller
and Tord Boontje.
The V&A runs competitions, exhibitions,
and events bringing the best of today's visual culture from around
the world to the Museum. All aspects of art and design (including
fashion, furniture and product design, craft, graphic design,
digital media, architecture and photography) and it consider the
interrelationships between these art forms.
National Museums Liverpool (NML)
NML operates on eight unique venues with varied
collections covering social history to space travel, entomology
to ethnology, dinosaurs to docks, arts to archaeology. It supports
contemporary art through:
— Collections—at least 20% of
annual acquisitions fund spent on contemporary work. Four galleries
are devoted to art from 1950s until the present day including
winners and purchases from the John Moores exhibitions; and
— Exhibitions—John Moores Exhibition
(biennial) that showcases contemporary painters.
Government Art Collection
Through the Government Art Collection (GAC),
works of art are placed in major Government buildings in the UK
and around the world to promote British art, history and culture.
The works of art create stimulating environments in these buildings
for staff and visitors. Since 1898, the GAC has acquired works
of art mainly by British artists dating from the 16th century
to the present day. The Collection now holds approximately 12,500
works of art in a broad range of media including oil paintings,
prints) watercolours, video and photographs.
In undertaking its role, the GAC helps increase
awareness and interest in contemporary art by purchasing and commissioning
contemporary work and by displaying it in Government buildings
in the UK and abroad. Displays of works from the Collection are
usually accompanied by interpretative material and GAC staff give
talks about works of art both at the GAC and in specific buildings.
Many of works of art in the Collection are accessible on its website,
www.gac.culture.gov.uk <http://www.gac.culture.gov.uk>.
New Home Office Building
In an exciting new development for a Government
building in London, a number of works of art specially commissioned
from a range of 10 artists will be integrated into the new Home
Office building. As well as supporting British art, this project
will enhance the building and emphasise its landmark status in
the surrounding community.
The project was developed through collaboration
between the Home Office, the GAC, architects Terry Farrell and
Partners and the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) developer Anne's
Gate Property plc.
Artist and curator Liam Gillick was recommended
by the GAC and commissioned to enhance the building façade
in five key areas designated by the architects. Gillick developed
his ideas in collaboration with Terry Farrell. The completed elements
are: a coloured glass canopy, coloured glass fins in the ground
floor windows and a unique brise-soleil (sun blind) above
the main entrance. Gillick also designed a hidden text that runs
across the façade and sculptures for the front of the building.
Gillick, with the Government Art Collection,
then selected six of Britain's most talented artists to create
site-specific work for the immediate area surrounding the new
building. These include:
— a neon light sculpture inset beneath
a bridge between two buildings (complete);
— mosaic rugs to sit in front of log
fires cast in bronze in one pedestrian area (complete);
— films reflecting life in Bangladesh
and Whitechapel presented on screens submerged in the water feature
in front of the main building (in production);
— a large, colourful and playful sculpture
that will glow and slowly rotate (in production);
— a sculpture for the entrance plaza
(under development); and
— a 26 year project that will, over
time, engrave a street with thoughts on what it means to be a
British citizen (ongoing).
For the interior of the new building, the Home
Office asked the GAC to select artists to develop three other
projects. The Home Office suggested one project should include
liaison with the Koestler Award Trust, an organisation that supports
the rehabilitation of offenders through arts education. The following
work has been initiated:
— two wall paintings for areas flanking
the main reception desk;
— a large sculpture for the main atrium;
and
— a project that promotes the rehabilitation/educational
aspects of visual art in prisons enabling the Home Office to establish
the Home Office Collection of Prison Art that will be presented
at points in the building.
3. WHAT RESOURCES
DOES THE
ARTS COUNCIL
COMMIT TO
ARTISTS' PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT, AND
WHAT KEY
AREAS AND
ISSUES HAVE
THE COUNCIL
IDENTIFIED? HOW
IS SUPPORT
FOR ARTIST
DEVELOPMENT WEIGHTED
IN COMPARISON
TO PROMOTING
ACCESS TO
THE WORK
OF ESTABLISHED
ARTISTS?
Studies on the art market
In 2002, the Arts Council commissioned Morris
Hargreaves McIntyre to report on how to cultivate the art market.
The results, published in October 2004, make 27 recommendations
on how sales of contemporary art and innovative contemporary art
can be developed. These are attached to five broad strategic objectives,
as follows:
— to help more artists to sell more
work;
— to help more people buy contemporary
art;
— to develop the supply side;
— to build the collector base; and
— to attract more cash into the sector.
The art market does not have a regulatory body
at present and operates mainly on levels of interest in particular
artists. Art world professionals (academics, curators, dealers,
critics, artists, buyers) advocate and endorse artists' work through
exhibitions, critical appraisal and private and public purchases.
The value of an artist's work is therefore directly proportional
to the levels of interest it attracts and sustains. Sales to public
collections are seen as positive endorsement and enhance the reputation
of the artist, whereas sales to lesser known, unknown or less
respected parties can have either no or detrimental effect on
the level of interest in the artist. Therefore, a successful artist
can, by maintaining his or her exclusivity and avant-garde appeal,
command high prices in the market. Paradoxically, a wider expansion
in the market for their art—popular appeal—may work
against them by reducing cachet and therefore drive down the prices
work can command.
Other initiatives and activities
ACE aims to place the artist at the centre of
its activities and to grow the economy for artists. To widen the
current market and collector base for contemporary art, the Arts
Council's New Audiences Department commissioned research on the
size and composition for the market for contemporary art in England
for which little data existed.
ACE also funds organisations that provide exhibition
space, affordable studio space, business advice and continuing
professional development to artists. These include Spike Island
in Bristol, Space Studios in London and CreativePeople, a web-based
project that provides information, advice and guidance on professional
development in arts and crafts.
Crafts Council England, through its "Next
Move" initiative, supports arts graduates to establish themselves
in business by providing them with access to equipment and resources.
Arts and Business (A&B)
Arts and Business claims to be the world's most
successful and widespread creative network. Receiving around £5.5
million per annum from ACE, the purpose of A&B is to promote
mutual benefits, helping business to be more successful in engaging
with the arts and to increase resources for the arts from business.
Funding from central government helps to foster innovative and
long-term partnerships between business and the arts through an
investment program. See Annex A for details of amounts of funding
generated.
To encourage greater corporate sponsorship,
A&B highlight the benefits of business/arts partnerships by
running a series of Introduction to Sponsorship seminars. To facilitate
effective evaluation of these benefits they provide guidance on
evaluation and also promote it through their new partners programme.
Own Art
DCMS directly funds "Own Art" through
a subsidiary company of Arts Council England. "Own Art"
is designed to encourage people to buy art and thereby stimulate
the contemporary art market for the benefit of artists. Loans
are only available up to £2,000 (to be repaid within 10 months)
therefore favouring work by new and up and coming artists as well
as appealing to low spend consumers.
DCMS funding for Own Art in 2005-06 is £250,000.
"Own Art" is administered by HFC bank (a subsidiary
of HSBC). "Own Art" pays HFC a fee per loan, in return
HFC administers the credit arrangements, provides a call centre
for customers and takes on the risk of bad debt, as well as providing
cash-flow. "Own Art" aims to have 250 galleries participating
in the scheme. Arts Council England monitors the scheme through
a Grant Agreement with DCMS.
The art galleries are carefully selected for
this scheme to ensure that they sell contemporary work by living
artists and are not at the expensive end of the contemporary art
market. The majority of contemporary galleries are small, often
linked to subsidised galleries or local authorities. These galleries
are important in providing a source of income for artists and
giving space for their work to be seen.
4. WHAT ROLE
DOES THE
BRITISH COUNCIL
PLAY IN
PROMOTING BRITISH
ARTISTS OVERSEAS?
HOW IS
AN APPROPRIATE
BALANCE MADE
BETWEEN ESTABLISHED
AND NEW
ARTISTS?
The British Council focuses on presenting new
and young British artists overseas both in the public and commercial
sectors. It does this in four ways:
— "Creative Exports"—This
is an open-submission scheme for professional artists with invitations
to exhibit in commercial galleries overseas. Over 100 artists
are supported annually through this scheme.
— Exhibitions—British Council
organises around 12 exhibitions annually, focusing on young British
artists. These exhibitions are organised with the museum sector
overseas, to encourage sales directly into the museum network
and to increase awareness of developments in young British art
among dealers, art fairs, curators and practitioners. Some recent
examples include: "Tracey Emin and David Hockney prints":
tour of Chile, Colombia 2004-05; Anthony Gormley's "Asian
Field"; tour of China, Japan and Korea 2003-05 and Sam Taylor-Wood:
first solo exhibition in Russia, 2005 (Moscow and St Petersburg).
— International Biennials and Triennials—The
British Council organises and supports British participation in
international Biennials and Triennials to maximise coverage for
British artists within the international art world. Examples include:
Venice Biennale (Chris Ofili shown in 2003: Gilbert and George
in 2005); Sao Paulo Biennial (Mike Nelson shown in 2004); Indian
Triennial (Roderick Buchanan shown in 2005).
— Displays—The British Council
Collection is displayed in offices throughout the British Council
Estate in order to maximise awareness of contemporary British
art among clients and customers of British Council overseas. The
policy is to focus on contemporary developments to support profile
of an innovative and creative Britain today. The British Council
Workshop sends 4,000 works of art per annum overseas. New commissions
by British artists are given whenever possible eg David Tremlett
for BC Nairobi; Howard Hodgkin for BC New Delhi; Catherine Dowson
for BC Sao Paulo; Paul Morrison for BC Brussels. Special exhibitions
of up to 50 works from the British Council Collection are put
together for overseas offices to meet public diplomacy requirements,
with published catalogue for distribution to wider audiences.
A small proportion of the visual arts programme
features historic and older developments, but presented in new
ways, in order to introduce overseas British skills in ancillary
museum services such as education, lighting and design, architecture,
branding and graphics. "Constable selected by Lucian Freud",
shown at the Grand Palais, Paris in 2002-03 is an example.
Government Art Collection
The GAC places works of art in the reception
areas of several hundred British Embassies and Residences around
the world in order to promote British art, history and culture.
5. IS THERE
A NEED
FOR A
CODE OF
BEST PRACTICE
FOR GALLERIES
AND AUCTION
HOUSES? IF
SO, WHAT
SHOULD THIS
PROVIDE FOR,
AND WHO
SHOULD IMPLEMENT
AND MONITOR
IT?
The Department does not have strong views either
way on the need for a code of practice. However it is aware that
there are views for and against within its sectors:
Tate
Each of the four Tate Galleries has spaces available
for the presentation of contemporary art. Tate feels a code of
best practice would be unhelpful given the very different institutional
contexts within which contemporary art is exhibited and displayed
and suggest a better way forward would be for Government to encourage
specific funding to support contemporary art acquisitions, to
encourage funding bodies to support contemporary art practice,
and to review the incentives available to encourage acquisitions
of contemporary art by public institutions. This could be promoted
through existing funding bodies, and through the fiscal regime
(cf Goodison).
National Museums Liverpool
National Museums Liverpool welcomes the opportunity
to explore with others, the development of best practice guidelines
to ensure responsibilities by galleries and auction houses to
artists are in place.
6. WHAT ARE
THE PROSPECTS
FOR ACHIEVING
INTERNATIONAL (ESPECIALLY
WITH THE
USA AND SWITZERLAND)
AGREEMENT OVER
ARTISTS' RESALE
ROYALTIES BEFORE
THE UK HAS
TO IMPLEMENT
DROIT DE
SUITE? DOES
THE UK INTEND
TO MAKE
MAXIMUM USE
OF THE
DEROGATION THAT
WOULD ALLOW
FOR SOME
DELAY IN
INTRODUCTION OF
THE RIGHT,
OR WILL
IMPLEMENTATION BE
TIMELY?
The following sets out the Department of Trade
and Industry's position on this issue.
Background
1. The Directive was agreed in September
2001 and requires a "artists' resale right" (often referred
to by its French name droit de suite) to be introduced
by 1 January 2006. The right will entitle artists and, for 70
years after death, their successors in title to a percentage of
the sale price whenever original works of art are re-sold in transactions
involving art market professionals.
2. The art market has been fiercely against
the introduction of the right and a number of concessions were
gained during the negotiation of the Directive to minimise the
potential damage to the UK art market.
Current position
3. The Government will be consulting on
the implementation of the Directive throughout February to April
2005. The full background and draft impact assessment will be
published as part of the consultation process. Copies will be
sent to the Committee as soon as they are available.
Detail
4. Artists' resale right is intended to
support artists by paying them a royalty when one of their works
is resold by an art market professional. This supplements their
income and encourages them to produce more works to enhance the
reputation.
5. There is a risk that sales will be diverted
to countries outside the EU (principally Switzerland and the USA,
the UK's major competitors), which do not have the right, to avoid
royalty payments.
6. To allow the art market time to adapt
to the new right, the UK secured a derogation so that the right
need not apply to works of deceased artists until 2010 (this may
be extended to 2012 if the UK makes a case for requiring more
time). These are the high value works in which the UK market specialises
and are most at risk of diversion. The UK intends to make full
use of this derogation.
7. In 2002 the Commission agreed that it
was a priority for the EC to negotiate internationally to make
the relevant article of the Berne Convention mandatory so that
the right would be introduced in the USA and Switzerland. To date
such attempts have not succeeded and both the USA and Switzerland
have said they do not intend to introduce the right.
8. It is likely that the majority of payments
would be made via a collecting society. This would reduce the
administrative costs involved and maximise the benefit to the
artists. There is an option within the Directive to make collective
management compulsory and the UK is consulting on whether this
would be the most efficient process.
7. TO WHAT
EXTENT COULD
THE INTERNET
PROVIDE EFFECTIVE
EXPOSURE TO
EMERGING ARTISTS?
WHAT SUPPORT
IS AVAILABLE,
OR COULD
BE MADE
AVAILABLE TO
ARTISTS TO
ENABLE THEM
TO EXPLOIT
THIS MEDIUM?
The internet is an important means of providing
exposure to established and emerging artists/photographers, particularly
through on-line galleries.
There are broadly three types of on-line galleries:
— Long-standing commercial picture
agencies/libraries. These tend to have established artists on
their books, rather than emerging artists, particularly those
that are not working in traditional media or working in abstract
art. Agencies hold collections of many thousands or millions of
images. They can range from the work of a single individual artist
to that of many and enable picture-users to find the image they
need quickly and easily. Picture libraries provide artists with
marketing and administrative services. Traditionally, this business
has been conducted using photographic media, ie film and prints,
but an increasing proportion is now transacted digitally and on-line.
— These organizations are in the business
of selling pictures: their purpose is strictly a commercial one,
to meet the demand for stock pictures from such markets as magazine
and book publishers, advertising agencies, travel operators, greetings
card and calendar publishers, and many more. Agencies handle pictures
of every subject under the sun. Some specialize in particular
subjects, while others act as general agencies, covering the whole
spectrum of subject matter. They generally work on a commission
basis, 50% being the most usual rate, and few buy works from artists
outright.
— There is a UK trade association for
such agencies—the British Association of Picture Libraries
& Agencies (BAPLA—www.bapla.co.uk). BAPLA is the largest
organization of its kind in the world. With over 400 member companies,
it represents the vast majority of commercial picture libraries
and agencies in the UK. Agencies range from small specialists
to multinationals, collectively managing in excess of 350 million
images, within an industry estimated to be worth over £500
million per year in domestic revenue.
— New web-based sites (eg. www.uklandscape.net)
emerging as a result of easier internet access. These are small-scale
versions of the larger commercial agencies. Some of these receive
sponsorship and may be run as a sideline to an individual's day
job. They usually have a commercial element, such as sales of
a photographer/artist's work on a commission basis (usually less
than 50%). Some of these sites specialize in new artists (eg www.zerooneart;
www.outsiderart.co.uk; www.minigallery.co.uk; www.takingitglobal.org,
which is supported by the UN (UNESCO and UNICEF));
Many artists have developed their own web-sites,
which they use to promote their own work (eg. see almost any photographic
magazine or the Bulletin Board on "Amateur Photographer"
magazine website—www.amateurphotographer.co.uk—for
many examples). They often have online galleries of works currently
available for sale, and links to any works in public collections
or information on their work that is on display in other places—such
as in business premises. Many artists also publish low-volume
runs of cards, books and other items for sale, and some auction
their work on commercial sites such as eBay.
There are also other examples of the internet
providing an outlet for artists' work. Commercial galleries, even
those that operate at a very small scale, often have their own
websites that they use to promote exhibitions. Art Schools may
promote the work of their students in online galleries of their
Degree Shows to give wider exposure. Many small museums and public
art galleries have temporary exhibitions, which promote the work
of emerging artists. These will then be promoted on their own
websites and through portals such as the 24 Hour Museum (www.24hourmuseum.org.uk).
The Tate Gallery commissions digital art for its website, as do
others. Some new media companies commission work from emerging
artists during the development of new projects.
Apart from individual Culture Online projects
(see www. cultureonline.gov.uk), there are already plenty of examples
from elsewhere in the world of online galleries for artists/photographers.
In the UK, the Arts Council supports the work of individual artists,
many of who work in digital arts, and who publish their work online.
The important thing is to get a critical mass of artists to have
their work represented, and to get a critical mass of audience
in front of it. These two factors are obviously linked and done
correctly there is the possibility of a virtuous circle.
Further support could be made available through
a portal (public or private) to promote the existing initiatives.
New ideas might include a virtual gallery of new art—with
an accompanying high profile competition—a virtual Royal
Academy Summer Exhibition; and encouraging the commissioning of
new art by major online sites, on the same basis as the percentage
for the arts in capital spend. There could also be a role for
broadcasters; Channel 4 has commissioned new work in the past.
A significant barrier is the position on copyright,
where public institutions must obtain the permission of the artist
in order to use an image of a work of art in order to promote
an exhibition, both in marketing materials such as posters, and
also online. In some cases this could result in public institutions
being required to pay significant fees to the artist in order
for the institution to promote their work. Auction houses have
an exemption under copyright law to enable them to use images
of works of art in order to advertise the sale of the work of
art.
Annex A
RESULTS OF 2002-03 BUSINESS INVESTMENT SURVEY
The 2002-03 Business Investment survey collected
data from 2,020 arts organisations. The following information
comes from this survey.
In what follows, please note the following definitions:
Museum/Gallery—A venue holding a permanent
collection of visual arts or artefacts.
Visual Arts—Non-collection based venues, which
are used primarily for temporary exhibitions of visual arts (including
public art and sculpture).
In 2002-03 Museums/Galleries and the Visual
Arts in the UK raised income from the following sources in the
private sector:
| Income Source | Museums & Galleries
| Visual Arts | Total for all art forms
|
| General Business Sponsorship | 14,200,615
| 3,562,970 | 64,112,562 |
| Corporate Membership | 2,481,273
| 929,900 | 13,876,270 |
| Corporate Donations | 1,828,314
| 301,625 | 6,984,427 |
| Capital Projects | 1,845,959
| 223,050 | 6,246,555 |
| Sponsorship in kind | 1,420,529
| 1,107,071 | 14,599,975 |
| Creative training and development | 98,890
| 67,148 | 3,469,677 |
| Total Business Support | 21,875,580
| 6,191,764 | 109,289,466 |
| Individual Donations | 8,148,735
| 1,511,782 | 43,323,067 |
| Friends Schemes | 2,318,402
| 7,248,440 | 99,382,272 |
| Gift of Shares | 159 | 0
| 2,454,877 |
| Payroll Giving | 3,028 |
2,794 | 41,241 |
| Legacies | 1,794,788 | 3,280,661
| 57,551,657 |
| Total Individual Giving | 12,265,112
| 12,043,677 | 202,753,114 |
| Total Trust Income | 14,004,636
| 1,738,099 | 52,896,419 |
| Total of Business Support, Individual Giving and Trust Income
| 48,145,328 | 19,973,540 |
364,938,999 |
| | |
|
Individual Support of the Arts
Through the Maecenas Initiative, funded by the DCMS, Arts
& Business is:
— training arts organisations on how to raise money
from individuals;
— undertaking research in this area; and
— developing a stronger understanding of key developmental
issues in this area and working to addressing them (a key priority
in this, for instance, will be the area of tax and giving).
BUSINESS SUPPORT OF THE ARTS
The following table outlines how business support for Museums/Galleries
and the Visual arts sector has varied over the last seven years
relative to other arts sectors
| Artform Category | 2002-03 |
2001-02 | 2000-01 | 1999-2000
| 1998-99 | 1997-98 | 1996-97
|
| Arts Centres | 3,972,935 |
3,253,041 | 2,895,523 | 1,694,936
| 1,634,232 | 1,177,292 | 1,303,227
|
| Community Arts | 2,795,544 |
3,272,013 | 1,734,742 | 1,475,236
| 1,651,479 | 1,382,218 | 752,460
|
| Crafts | 194,119 | 142,035
| 23,600 | 162,100 | 127,139
| 13,725 | 39,845 |
| Dance | 4,945,900 | 2,002,953
| 1,679,744 | 1,698,170 | 3,011,503
| 1,751,730 | 3,006,472 |
| Drama/Theatre | 12,861,843 |
10,903,777 | 11,288,531 | 15,420,589
| 17,176,612 | 19,919,157 |
16,549,317 |
| Festivals | 8,776,561 | 6,711,607
| 7,086,247 | 8,984,105 | 9,751,654
| 10,418,031 | 8,119,294 |
| Film/Video | 7,973,989 | 7,601,175
| 6,049,562 | 10,594,861 | 5,399,042
| 5,875,379 | 3,847,112 |
| Heritage | 4,674,443 | 2,259,726
| 3,602,614 | 3,788,811 | 6,723,467
| 1,946,402 | 2,231,541 |
| Literature/Poetry | 1,138,931
| 1,066,518 | 1,612,907 | 1,340,615
| 793,211 | 517,115 | 424,270
|
| Museums & Galleries | 23,044,087
| 25,721,407 | 25,237,797 |
38,746,457 | 31,790,492 | 18,313,456
| 12,759,449 |
| Music | 14,673,545 | 9,596,274
| 10,870,058 | 10,891,285 |
12,335,848 | 10,869,071 | 11,094,608
|
| Opera | 5,530,476 | 8,585,850
| 8,345,314 | 18,122,161 | 13,035,696
| 8,055,328 | 9,707,898 |
| Photography | 723,452 | 414,760
| 207,500 | 231,348 | 1,851,528
| 813,621 | 62,700 |
| Services | 2,208,202 | 2,655,495
| 1,331,240 | 1,589,362 | 2,014,689
| 472,418 | 360,713 |
| Visual Arts | 6,213,457 | 6,443,240
| 10,309,402 | 6,353,526 | 7,367,971
| 8,826,481 | 5,062,723 |
Other
(Inc. Local Authorities) | 11,612,354
| 8,706,280 | 9,580,349 | 13,533,497
| 16,068,578 | 13,064,571 |
10,810,263 |
| Total | 111,339,838 | 99,336,151
| 101,855,130 | 134,627,059 |
130,760,141 | 103,415,995 | 89,680,562
|
| | |
| | | |
|
Source: Arts & Business Survey Data 2002-03, 2001-2002,
2000-2001, 1999-2000
When looking at business investment in 2002-03 Museums/Galleries
brought in the largest amount of investment (20% of the overall
total). In put this into context, Music brings in 20% of the total
investment, Drama/Theatre 11%, Opera brings in 5%, Arts Centres
account for 4%, Heritage 4%, Dance 5%, and Visual Arts 6%.
11 February 2005
53
We have taken the term artists to mean visual artists. Back
54
Source: "The European Art Market in 2002-A Survey" by
The European Fine Art Foundation. Back
55
Sponsored by DCMS, DfES, ACE, NESTA, Raising Standards and the
Centre for British Teachers. Back
|
