Over £4.7 million paid to artists and estates so far in 2025 through the Artist's Resale Right
More than £4.7 million has been paid out to artists and estates so far in 2025 through the Artist’s Resale Right (ARR), with 121 artists receiving royalties for the first time. Since the Right was introduced in the UK in 2006, over £139 million has been distributed through DACS to artists and their beneficiaries.
ARR gives visual artists the right to receive a royalty when their work is resold by galleries, auction houses or dealers. The royalty is a percentage of the sale price, recognising the ongoing value of the artist’s work and helping them or their heirs benefit from future sales.
Next year marks 20 years of ARR in the UK, and we’ll be celebrating with a series of activities highlighting the difference it has made for artists across the country.
It is especially timely that the National Gallery’s new exhibition, Millet: Life on the Land, features L’Angelus — the painting that is said to have inspired a change in the law.
Where did the Artist's Resale Right begin?
The Artist's Resale Right can be traced back to France in the late 19th century and is believed to have been sparked by the plight of the family of artist Jean-François Millet. When L’Angelus was resold for a large sum in 1889, Millet had already died, and his destitute family received nothing. France introduced droit de suite (right to follow) in 1920, ensuring that artists and their families would share in future resale profits.
The Artist's Resale Right was introduced into UK law on 14 February 2006. As we approach its 20th anniversary, we look forward to celebrating how the legislation has made a lasting difference.
