The articles in this section deal with contracts useful for all type of commissions, either private and public.
The ownership of public commissions, artists collaborating with architects for major commissions and the legalities of Private Commissions are some of the topics covered in this section.
Public Art and the Law
Architects’ collaboration with artists and craftworkers has been the subject of serious debate and some activity over the past five years. The ‘art and architecture’ movement in the U.K. started with …
Commissioning Contemporary Art
There is a real shortage of published material that authoritatively and comprehensively covers the complex and extensive challenges of commissioning new artworks: conceptual, cultural, ethical, manage …
Private Commissions and the Law, part 1
The thirteenth year of these columns starts with a re-examination of one of the first and most fundamental areas of art practice, private commissions, because it has posed perennial problems, for arti …
Commissioning an Artist
Commissioning an artist to create a work is one of the earliest forms of art activity and one of the most obvious legal relationships an artist enters into: a commission agreement is a contract by whi …
Who Owns Public Art Commissions?
Following publication in March and April of the two pieces exploring public art commissions (AM 234 and 235) readers’ letters raised interesting and challenging queries. A common thread was the questi …
Public Art Commissions: Part 1
In response to many readers’ requests for guidance in relation to public art commissions and the legal issues involved and arising, this piece explores key lessons learned from the experiences gained …
Private Commissions and the Law, part 2
The formula for heaven’s very simple, Just follow the rules and you will see. And as life travels on, And things do go wrong, Just follow steps one, two and three. This month we look at ‘Professional …
Commissions and the responsibilities they bring, part 2
The answer to last month's poser (your commissioned art work sited in a public place falls down and injures someone five years after installation; are you responsible?) is: yes. 'Don't bri …
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, Seno …
Commissions and the responsibilities they bring, part 1
You are an artist. A public body asks you to design an artwork for a public space or place. You are promised payment 'if it all works out'. You are flattered. How weak was the foundation I was …
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