Committed to the growth and development of
the African art market, Aspire Art Auctions is the first auction house in South
African history to pay living South African artists royalties on the resale of
their works of art.
This long-awaited implementation of the
Artist Resale Right (ARR) is an investment back into the industry,
acknowledging the value of authorship and ensuring support for artists. The
inequality of artists only profiting from the initial sale is compounded when
one considers the rise in value of an artwork over time, in relation to the
growing success of the artist; the resale royalties endeavour to return some of
that value to the living artist.
Aspire’s vision places art, sustainability,
and the development of the industry at its core; the sustainability of the
practitioners and the professionals that have made this market what it is today
forms the heart of this pioneering auction house. Whilst upholding the
significance of established artists, Aspire is building a market for the
future.
Across the world, artists, associations and
collecting societies have been actively fighting, for decades, to achieve
resale rights. With the globalisation of the art market, this is a timeous and
significant international trend.
The droit de suite (French for "right
to follow") was first proposed in Europe around 1893 to alleviate the
plight of the ‘struggling artist’. Although not yet universal, ARR has been
implemented in different forms in over 70 countries including France,
Australia, and Russia. The European Union standardised its legislation in 2001,
with the payment mandated to official collecting agencies, or paid directly to
the artist. The EU directive was met with loud protestations from established
UK auction houses and galleries, however in 2011 and in 2012 the European
Commission and UK Parliament reported that the resale right does not impact the
art market negatively.
In fact, as stated on the Design and
Artists Copyright Society (DACS) website, over £14 million ($22.5 million) was
paid in royalties to 19,000 registered artists and estates in 2013. Barring the
state of California, the USA does not enforce ARR - along with Canada, China,
Japan, and Switzerland.
Here in South Africa, beneficial copyright legislation
for visual artists is still very much in discussion. With little opportunity
for funding in the arts, the profound social inequalities of South Africa seem
particularly magnified in the sector. In the absence of legislation or a
government mandated collecting agency, Aspire voluntarily covers the cost of
the ARR percentage fee.
Aspire is placed to usher in a new era, as
the newest South African art auction house, with the longest combined secondary
art market experience in the country, and a particular focus on top quality
fine art.
For more information, visit www.aspireart.net
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