Petition · Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Require galleries segregate artists' sale proceeds, protect them from insolvency

Closed 205 signatures

What the petition asks

We urge Parliament to enact legislation requiring UK art galleries to segregate artists' sale proceeds into separate, protected trust accounts. We think this is essential to prevent commingling, ensure funds are not lost in gallery insolvencies, and safeguard artists' livelihoods.
This legislation must mirror laws like New York's, which we feel are a success.

In gallery insolvencies, artists' funds can be lost when commingled with gallery assets, resulting in their treatment as unsecured creditors with no recovery. We believe existing UK remedies are reactive, costly, and ineffective for artists, particularly in the absence of strong contracts. We see this as a systemic issue undermining artists' livelihoods and the British art market's reputation. We think that mandating segregation of the proceeds of sales of artists' work, as we believe has been successfully implemented in New York, is crucial preventative action to secure artists' incomes, foster trust, and ensure market integrity.

Timeline

2 Jul 2025 Petition opened for signatures
2 Jan 2026 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 205
Status Closed
Department Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Opened 2 Jul 2025
Closed 2 Jan 2026

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 8 Aug 2026.