Visual Artists Royalty Rights

A visual artist’s royalty rights on resale (or droit de suite) is only recognized in some countries, but momentum is building to make this right a universal one and it is about time. Artists’ heirs and families many times are very engaged in the artist’ work long after the artist dies. Interesting, the issue first came to a head when Millet sold the Angelus for the equivalent of $100 and it was resold a few years later for the equivalent of $15k and Millet’s family received nothing. France is now one of the few countries with an established resale royalty mechanism.

Further Reading: No More Starving Artists: Why the Art Market Needs a Universal Artist Resale Royalty Right.