The UK's Artist Resale Right (ARR), a law entitling visual artists to royalties from secondary market sales of their work, marks its 20th anniversary. Initially met with fierce opposition from auction houses and dealers who feared it would drive high-value sales offshore, the scheme is now largely accepted by the UK art trade, though concerns about administrative burdens compared to markets like New York and Hong Kong remain.
Advocates argue the ARR is a vital and fair source of income for thousands of artists and their estates, with over £144 million distributed to nearly 7,000 recipients since its inception. The focus has now shifted to a global campaign to level the playing field by introducing similar rights in the US and China, the world's largest art markets, with Canada and South Korea set to adopt their own laws in 2027.