This year DACS celebrates its 30th anniversary. Our Chief Executive, Gilane Tawadros, highlights some exciting developments taking place, which build on three decades of transforming the financial landscape for visual artists.
DACS: 30 years and counting…
Thirty years ago this year, DACS was established by artists for artists. Thanks to generous seed funding from the Gulbenkian Foundation, we grew to become the organisation we are today - a trusted broker for 80,000 visual artists and estates worldwide and a champion for their sustained contribution to the creative economy.
Over three decades we have paid £67 million in royalties to over 20,000 artists and their heirs – a significant source of income supporting artists’ livelihoods, their practice and legacy.
At the same time, we have continued to work closely with the Government to ensure artists’ extraordinary contribution to society is respected and rewarded through copyright licensing and resale royalties.
DACS to launch new digital image resource
Building on this activity, we’ve established a new research and innovation arm to explore ground-breaking enterprises to support artists and estates financially, whilst also making their work accessible to greater audiences.
The first of these new services, I’m delighted to announce, is Artimage. Launching in June 2014, the Artimage website will showcase and make available for licensing, thousands of images of modern and contemporary art. We’ll be announcing more details soon…
New charitable arm to benefit artists and the wider public
Secondly, through our new charitable arm the DACS Foundation, we aim to benefit both artists and the wider public by providing new funding opportunities for visual artists, combating further cuts to their income at a time when their median wage is just £10,000 per year.
Investment in the arts at a grass roots level ensures that the UK’s cultural legacy is protected and the creative economy is nurtured for future generations.
DACS Foundation will provide a variety of initiatives including small-scale but transformative grants, archive management and legacy planning.
We also intend to shake up and develop public discourse around the value of artists in today’s society through ongoing debates, symposia and publications - the first of these will be curated to coincide with the publication of an anthology of new writings, The New Economy of Art, later this year.
Looking to the future
As you can see, 2014 is an ambitious year for DACS. At the heart of these activities are artists and the need for a financial and legal framework which nourishes and supports their work. We hope that we can make a real difference, supporting the future of contemporary art and its contribution to society and the economy.
Learn more about DACS
Read about our rights management and royalties services for artists and their heirs.