Earlier this year, we launched a campaign to trace the heirs of over 80 Scottish artists owed more than £20,000 in Artist’s Resale Right (ARR) royalties. Here’s our story so far.
Uniting heirs and royalties
Over the past six months we’ve received lots of generous support to track down the heirs of
these Scottish estates - from members of the public to organisations such as the Glasgow School of Art Archives, the Royal Glasgow Institute, and the Society of Scottish Artists. We even made the news with coverage on BBC Radio Scotland,
The Scotsman and STV.
As a result, we’re now in touch with almost 20 heirs who are owed ARR royalties, including the sons of artist Margot Sandeman (1922-2009) a Scottish painter, close friend of Joan Eardley and long-time collaborator with poet Ian Hamilton Finlay.
Peter and David, sons of artist Margot Sandeman, said: "We were very pleased to be contacted by DACS with regards to our mother's legacy and the Artist's Resale Right service they provide. No doubt there are many other artists' heirs that could benefit from DACS' assistance as we have."
About Artist’s Resale Right
In the UK and parts of Europe, artists and their estates are entitled to royalties when their copyright-protected work resells on the art market. This is the
Artist’s Resale Right (ARR).
In the UK, DACS collects and distributes these royalties to artists and estates. Since the law was introduced in 2006, over 4,300 artists and estates have received more than £60 million in ARR royalties via DACS.
We also receive royalties from sales of unrepresented artists, and these go through a formal tracing process. With over 80 Scottish heirs in the process, we set up a campaign to help trace them.
How you can help us find more heirs
Our campaign continues into 2018 as we look to locate and unite more heirs before time runs out. After six years, where heirs aren’t found, we currently return the royalties to the gallery, auction house or dealer that sold the artist’s work.
View the full list of Scottish artists here
The beneficiary of the royalties may be the person or charity who has inherited the artist’s copyright, but in some cases, this will depend on whether the artist made a Will and what the Will states.
Think you have a lead? Please get in touch with our Artists’ Services Team at
[email protected].
You can also help us by sharing this article with your networks or on social media using the hashtag #SearchForScottishHeirs.
Related links:
Learn more about the Artist's Resale Right for artists and artist estates
Gallery, auction house or dealer? Submit your recent sales details here
Join DACS as an artist's estate
Image: Margot Sandeman, Three Bathers, 1950, © Sandeman Estate 2017