Picasso's keen interest in taking care of the commercial dimension of his professional practice manifested itself relatively early in his career,.

You will often be presented with a document described as the landlord’s ‘standard document’, the implication being that its terms and condition are non-negotiable.

It is not widely remembered that William Hogarth, amongst his many other achievements, was the prime sponsor of a copyright statute, the Engravers' Copyright Act of 1735 - better known as 'Hogarth's Act' - which gave legal protection for the first time to works of the visual arts (books had been protected since 1711).

It happened to artists in New York and Chicago in the sixties, and it's beginning to happen in London today.

Artquest's Artlaw articles and web services are free for anyone to use anywhere in the world.   Artlaw can also provide free specialist legal advice to London-based visual artists and craftspeople (see the Who we can help page for more information).

Studios Can I negotiate the lease / licence with my prospective landlord? What counts as an affordable rent? How much deposit would I expect to pay? What other costs might I be liable for when renting a studio? What kinds of contract might I be expected to sign when taking on a property? What is a ‘break clause’? In what circumstances can I sublet or share my studio space? What kind of access can I expect in a studio or property? What health and safety considerations are there? What materials might I not be allowed to work with in a public studio? What is the difference between a work / live and a live / work space? Where can I find lists of studio providers?.

In our everyday lives we enter into numerous contracts without even noticing, as the majority of these are oral contracts.

The following pages contain listings which may be of use to artists working within an organisational structure.

Thank you for your query to Artquest's free Artlaw legal advice service.