Artist, Authorship and Legacy: A Reader

Artistic authorship is fundamental to how we interpret and value artworks. The figure of the solitary, creative genius underpins the symbolic and monetary values we ascribe to artworks; yet artistic authorship, like ownership, is often contested and unstable. This interdisciplinary collection of essays, written from legal, art historical and art market perspectives, critically examines the construction and iteration of the artist-author both during the lifetime of the artist and beyond when artistic authorship is stewarded by others, including artists' estates, foundations and museums. Drawing on current cases and past legal disputes, this important anthology addresses enduring issues that have become central to the contemporary art world, such as the collision between artists' rights and the rights of the owners of artworks, the problems of authentication and who has the final authority to determine authenticity, and the role of artists' estates as legacy guardians. AUTHOR: Daniel McClean is the editor of Artist, Authorship & Legacy: A Reader. McClean is an art and cultural property lawyer who practices in Los Angeles and in London and works with different sectors of the International art market, including artists, estates, galleries, dealers, collectors, museums and foundations. He speaks and writes regularly on art law issues (including for Art Review) and teaches Art Law at the Sotheby's Institute of Art (London/Los Angeles). SELLING POINTS: . This interdisciplinary anthology critically examines artistic authorship and authenticity through a selection of essays by leading writers and scholars in the field. . Edited by a lawyer and curator 7 colour, 1 b/w illustrations