Public Policies and Commissions

These pieces seek to initiate and / or contribute to debates about the UK's public policies in support of the visual arts. The Party Political Manifesto of each successful party elected during the three decades covered is criticised and reviewed, with suggestions and arguments being advanced for improvements to legislation, funding or policy.

There is a consistency of approach in these pieces, repeatedly arguing for such reforms as: the introduction of artists' statutory moral rights (achieved in 1988); the introduction of legislation giving artists a right to a share of the profits of the resale of their works - artists resale rights (achieved in 2006); artists' public exhibition payments (voluntarily introduced by some publicly-funded galleries); the introduction of '% for art' legislation - to promote the integration and commissioning of art and architecture in public places; and the need for common EU cultural policies.

This article is from the Artlaw Archive of Henry Lydiate's columns published in Art Monthly since 1976, and may contain out of date material.
The article is for information only, and not for the purpose of providing legal advice.
Readers should consult a solicitor for legal advice on specific matters, and artists in London can get free online legal advice from Artquest