‘My Art Sells for Millions, but I See Only a Fraction,’ Says Scottish Painter

Peter Doig became Europe’s most expensive living painter in 2007 with his painting, “White Canoe,” selling for £5.7 million. His records continued to break when “Rosedale” and “Swamped” fetched £21 million and nearly £30 million, respectively, in 2017 and 2021. Despite these astounding figures, Doig, now 65, reports he has only earned about £230,000 from his works.

Doig claims collectors benefit most, flipping his pieces on a highly secretive secondary market. “It’s all very clandestine,” he shared with the Observer, pointing out that some sales are made offshore and are thus untraceable. This lack of transparency, he argues, particularly harms vulnerable young artists.

He calls for galleries to be completely transparent in their dealings, insisting they have a duty to share information with the artists about who buys their works and for what prices. However, Doig’s own experiences suggest otherwise. He recounted a recent argument with a former gallery that flat-out refused to divulge who bought his paintings or the sale prices.

A significant frustration in the contemporary art world, Doig noted, comes from the secondary sales conducted by gallerists without clear documentation. Often, an artwork is resold through the gallery, but the transactions are not transparently recorded, making it hard for the artist to know what’s happening with their work.

Doig’s concern extends to the vulnerability of young artists who are eager to see their work sold and may easily be exploited. Born in Edinburgh in 1959 and raised in Trinidad and Canada, Doig studied at St Martin’s and Chelsea College in London. Now splitting his time between Britain and Trinidad, he paints various scenes from jungles to snowy mountains.

While Doig’s auction successes have undoubtedly increased his primary market value, he believes auction sales give a misleading impression of his earnings. He emphasizes that behind-the-scenes sales are numerous and remain hidden from public view, thereby making it appear as though he earns far more than he does.

Though the secondary market has boosted his work’s value, Doig’s earnings from primary sales don’t come close to the secondary market prices. According to the Design and Artists Copyright Society (DACS), the Artist’s Resale Right allows artists to earn a payment when their work is resold for £1,000 or more through a gallery, auction house, or art dealer. However, the maximum royalty payout for works sold for £2 million or more is just £12,500. And if a sale occurs offshore, the artist receives nothing.

I wasn’t after money. I wanted to know where the paintings had gone. The gallery wouldn’t tell me.

Peter Doig

Doig’s experience as a struggling artist is equally notable. He was nominated for the 1990 Whitechapel Artists Award by Yuko Shiraishi, an artist whose husband, David Juda, runs a gallery that also represents David Hockney. This recognition afforded him a level of exposure he had never experienced before.

Now, Doig is the guest curator of the David and Yuko Juda Art Foundation Grant, offering £50,000 to an artist to alleviate financial pressures. He has shortlisted seven candidates, including former student Kaoli Mashio and former teacher Tim Allen.

The shortlisted artists will be judged by a panel including former Tate curator Andrew Wilson, with the winner announced next week. An exhibition of the shortlisted works will take place at Annely Juda Fine Art in London starting on 10 September.

Doig’s call for more transparency in the art market isn’t just about financial fairness; it’s also about respect for the artist’s connection to their work and ensuring that the creative voice isn’t lost in opaque transactions.

Source: Observer.