“Damage to small businesses from the Artist’s Resale Right”
We are consumed with worry and apprehension about this terrible blow of the extension to the ARR from the 1st January 2012. Most of our turnover comes from sales of works by dead artists. When ARR started on living artists works we were so appalled by the implications and so opposed to the principals involved that we stopped buying and selling works by living artists – probably not the result the perpetrators of the legislation wanted. Now that this extension is in effect as of 1st January we find ourselves in the firing line for this pernicious, vicious and unfair procedure.
We have been in business for 25 years. We are a husband and wife team and turn over something like Half a Million Pounds a year. We specialise in works by Picasso, Matisse, Dali and their fellow members of the School of Paris. Our business depends on Trade sales to Galleries. We buy a lot of works which we then provide to clients in complete shows. Our margins are slim – something in the order of 20% on turnover – but because we have a volume of sales we have enjoyed a successful business for many years.
In our view the ARR is not fair for living or dead artists. There may, we concede, be some argument for the former but not for the latter.
For all of the above reasons we decided that it was important for us to do all we can to resist the onslaught of this new and great peril to our industry in general, and to our own company in particular. Therefore, we have now established an online petition which we hope you might consider signing. Please find the link below.
“Damage to small businesses from the Artist’s Resale Right”
All credit must go to the “Founding Fathers” of this current initiative whose antipathy to the ARR has spread so far and fast. These initiators include John Robertson, Christopher Battiscombe, Derek Newman, Elliot Lee, Mark Dodgson, Francesca Fiumano, Stephen Jack, David Brooker, John Davies, Sarah Percy-Davis, John James and Jeremy Green.
Thank you very much for taking the time to sign our petition.
Best wishes,
Niall & Christina Fairhead
Elliot Lee
January 29, 2012
Good on you Niall, thank you very much for all the unseen hard work both you and Christina have put into this to date !
Best wishes,
Elliot
http://www.graysantiques.com
John King
February 2, 2012
I do not beleave that the European Commission should have the power to impose such damaging legislation, which brings into question the status of the EU in it’s present form.
Niall Fairhead
February 4, 2012
“Damage to small businesses from the Artist’s Resale Right” – The Campaign and the Petition:
Now that the Campaign for amendment of the “rules” of the ARR is under way it is important to know something about it’s structure. There are several areas of information to which activists and supporters should look:
1) For General points about the ARR made by dealers , collectors and sympathisers:
http://olympiafineartandantiquesblog.wordpress.com/2011/12/17/the-artists-resale-right-do-the-maths-bournegallery-com-3/
This present magisterial Blogg was started by John Robertson who, in many ways, can be said to have “spearheaded” the current wave of protest. As of writing today there are over 100 separate posts on this Blogg. You are encouraged to contribute to this in a positive way. Please do not lambast the opposite point of view in an unconstructive way. There is no point. It is only by factual and rational argument that our argument will prevail.
2) Artist’s Resale Right – dossier of damage to small businesses
http://olympiafineartandantiquesblog.wordpress.com/2012/01/27/artists-resale-right-dossier-of-damage-to-small-businesses-aad-blog-2/#respond
This Blogg is fostered by the main Trade Organsisations in the UK and is signed by Mark Dodgson, Secretary General of BADA, Christopher Battiscombe, Director General of SLAD and Sarah Percy-Davis, Chief Executive of LAPADA. In many ways this is the most important campaign site. If sufficient examples of damage to small art business can be properly documented it will prove to be a cogent tool in the hands of our professional negotiators when the time for reviewing the adverse effect of ARR in 2014. All activists are very much encouraged to support this Blogg with their own tales of woe. A word of advice, however: No matter how hard are your feelings please use rational argument rather then invective! Reason is more powerful then insult!
3) Damage to small businesses from the Artist’s Resale Right – The Petition
The Petition itself:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/damage-to-small-businesses-from-the-artists/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=system&utm_campaign=Send%2Bto%2BFriend
Bloggs about the Petition and the Campaign:
http://olympiafineartandantiquesblog.wordpress.com/2012/01/29/fairhead-fine-art-ta-images-arr-i-petition-images-art-co-uk/#respond
This Blogg will be duplicated to be present both here and on the petition itself in order that the maximum publicity can be obtained. We have already achieved a substantial number of protests in the form of signatures. We would draw your attention to a few points:
- Our target is 10,000 signatures – preferably 20,000. This is going to take a lot of effort and trouble to achieve but to make this a valuable tool in the hands of our professional negotiators it needs to have “length and depth”. The “length” is the number of signatures. The “depth” is the valuable comments made on each signature.
- Just signing the petition is not “Job Done”. Activists need to get their family, friends, employees, clients, associates and neighbors also to support “The Cause”. We are gratified to see owners of large Galleries and Art organisations who have rendered their support – THIS BY ITS OWN IS NOT ENOUGH. Unity is strength. This is a numbers game and numbers are important.
- Please do put a name on each signature. We are dismayed that many parties are “anonymous”. There is no need for anonymity – everyone should proudly announce their name to give their voice respectability. Similarly everyone is encouraged to say who they are and what company or organisation they represent.
- The comments beneath each signature we consider to be of great value. It is, however, important to ensure that they are all “on message”. For example to go off on a tangent about auctioneers buyers premiums is ‘off message”. It may be a valid point but it has to be to THE point. THE point is the aims and objectives of the petition. Invective and insulting comments are discouraged. Constructive and helpful comments are what are needed – in quantity, cogent, powerful and effective.
- Where a “bad” comment has been made it must be remembered that this is an individual point of view and not necessarily the opinion of the Sponsors or the majority of activists.
We thank you for your valued support.
Niall & Christina Fairhead
Fairhead Fine Art Limited t/a Images
http://www.images-art.co.uk
nfairhead@images-art.co.uk