Art Galleries and GDPR

If you as an artist are sweating over GDPR - otherwise known by its longer name of General Data Protection Regulation - just imagine what it's doing for art gallery owners, directors and managers - and any and all art dealers.

The Financial Times has a particularly good article on this topic A secretive art world grapples with data protection which highlights some of the issues for art galleries and dealers and the scope to tear down the walls they keep around their major asset - information about individual collectors

galleries record extensive personal information about collectors and clients — from their tastes and their buying histories to their private addresses and even their dietary preferences. 

As from next Friday 25th May 2018 (i.e. 5 DAYS LEFT)if a collector enquires, an art gallery has to produce all the  data they hold about an individual.

Then there's the issues of

• provenance which is important in relation to how long personal data is kept. Keeping a track record of purchases and sales of art is crucial to the maintenance of credibility and value.
• the black lists - who is not allowed to buy art from a gallery

which appears to be leading to some interesting explorations of which records are and are not subject to GDPR (and hence whether or not they must be revealed).

Cork Street - as was - before the developers got going, pulling down buildings.....

For more about GDPR

What I've written so far

• Got the GDPR Jitters? 10 things you need to know as an artist / art society / art gallery (23 March 2018)
• Is your art organisation or business ready for GDPR - the replacement of the Data Protection Act? (22 August 2017) 
• Data Protection for Art and Artists | Art Business Info for Artists - a resource for artists, art societies, art galleries and other organisations who need to make sure they comply.

Facebook Groups and Other Resources

• GDPR For Online Entrepreneurs (UK, US, CA, AU) - helpful Facebook Group run by a very savvy UK lawyer
• GDPR For Creative Business Owners (Crafters, Artists, Makers, And More) - only found this one below so not yet checked it out thoroughly
• As a self-employed artist, will the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) affect me? | Artquest
• GDPR: How to get the job done | Arts Professional

Other Articles

• Art businesses ill-prepared for new EU data protection law | The Art Newspaper
• GDPR: Will May 25 Kill Your Art Gallery Business? | Gallery Fuel
• How Will EU's New GDPR Law Affect the Art Business? | Widewalls

DISCLAIMER: I am NOT an expert on this topic - even if I know more than you! Nothing stated on this page is legal advice. Like you I'm just trying to work my way through the maze of online information about GDPR. Hence this resource should NOT be construed or relied upon as legal advice. You are not my client and I do not know your individual circumstances - meaning I have no liability to you in any circumstances should you choose to rely on any of the materials on this page - although whatever is published by the ICO should be more authoritative than most.