Artist Estate

The legal and operational body that stewards an artist's body of work, archives and intellectual property after their death.

An artist estate is the legal and operational body that takes responsibility for an artist's collection, archive, intellectual property and reputation after their death. A well-run estate consolidates the inventory, preserves records, manages sales and donations, and authenticates works that return to the market. Its long-term effectiveness depends almost entirely on the quality of the records the artist left behind.