Protecting Artists or Killing their Market?

12.00.00am GMT Wed 13th Dec 2000

Tonight (Tuesday 12 December) the European Parliament will debate longstanding and controversial measures to introduce resale rights on works of art.

The European Commission and some Member States are supporting legislation to ensure that artists, or their heirs, get a percentage of the sale price on their works of art whenever they are re-sold over a period of 70 years.

Lib Dem Euro-MP for Yorkshire and Humber, Diana Wallis, highlighted the dangers of this proposal earlier last month with a visit to Tennants auctioneers in North Yorkshire (one of the largest outside London). "Not only will established businesses such as Tennants be threatened by these proposals," said Diana Wallis MEP, "but also the many smaller galleries and business across the region who sell the works of modern artists."

"Adopting this directive would put the EU, and especially the established UK art market, at a competitive disadvantage against the USA and Switzerland - where works of art will continue to be sold without this additional hassle and cost."

She continued, "There are those who like to think that this is being done to protect young artists - it is not. Firstly, the evidence from countries that have these rules is not convincing; and secondly it is actually a dogmatic piece of Internal Market legislation aimed at stamping out differences in the EU art market, but it is more likely to stamp out the market itself!"

Diana Wallis will be urging her colleagues to vote against the whole directive later in the week or at least to postpone its implementation to allow for international agreements that will minimise the potential damage.