About Us — Artists' Collecting Society

‘The Artist in Her Studio’, 1993 © Paula Rego

The Artists’ Collecting Society (ACS) is the only not-for-profit Community Interest Company dedicated to the collection of the Artist’s Resale Right (ARR), or droit de suite, and copyright on behalf of artists and artists’ estates in both the UK and the EEA.

ACS is the premium collecting society for the administration of the Artist’s Resale Right (ARR). ARR is a royalty generated on the sale price of original works of art that are sold on the secondary market and it applies to all artists who are UK or EEA citizens. ACS is delighted to confirm that following its withdrawal from the European Union, the UK Government have published legislation which safeguards ARR for the thousands of artists and artists’ estates who rely upon the royalty.

ACS was set up by Harriet Bridgeman (founder of Bridgeman Images) in response to requests from artists, dealers, auction houses and galleries who recognised the need for a transparent, fair and professional collecting society that puts artists’ needs first. Harriet Bridgeman’s experience, knowledge and passion for art ensured ACS was created ‘for the love of art’.

ACS represents just over 1,500 artists and artists’ estates including painters, sculptors, photographers, designers, and artists working in glass and ceramics.

Our members range from well-known artists such as Frank Auerbach, Eileen Cooper, Cecily Brown and Michael Craig-Martin, to estates of important artists such as Lucian Freud, Barbara Hepworth, Paula Rego and Stanley Spencer. We are also proud to represent artists whose work has only recently started to sell regularly on the UK secondary market such as Bambi, Leonor Antunes and Pablo Bronstein.

As a Community Interest Company, ACS is best placed to serve the interests of both artists and the artistic community.

As we operate solely for the benefit of our member artists, ACS was formed as a Community Interest Company. This means that, while we deduct a small commission from royalty payments to cover our administration costs, any surplus income is locked into the company and used for the benefit of our member artists and the artistic community. ACS is proud to fund bursaries and residencies for art students at leading institutions, whilst sponsoring a number of art prizes and charities.

As a full collecting society, ACS also administers the collection and distribution of copyright on behalf of artists or their estates.

Through its affiliation with Bridgeman Images, ACS is a one-stop-shop for artists’ rights management, administering reproduction licensing, as well as artists’ ARR and copyright.

If you are an artist or a representative of an estate of a deceased artist and are interested in joining ACS, you can do so here. Registration is free and a very simple process. Alternatively, if you would like to learn more about us and what we do, please feel free to contact us.