The last two posts I've written have both been about prominent artists and illustrators who are recently deceased. I learned a lot while writing them. As a result, I've developed this post which covers:
- Basic principles for remembering an artist
- Memberships of Art Societies
- Obituaries and Tributes
- Retrospective Exhibitions / Websites
Plus a reference to a free resource I've developed for all those artists whose end is nearer than their beginning.
CHECKLIST: Basic Principles for Remembering an Artist
- If an artist is respected, then celebrate their memory.
- Have your facts and statements written in advance if possible - for tailoring and editing only. That's what all the news platforms do.
- The artist may have died but their artwork has not. It can continue to sell and generate income - but only if you are organised!
- Think about how the legacy can continue before rather than after death!
See The Art Legacy on my website Art Business Info. for Artists
GOOD PRACTICE: Obituary Pages and Legacy Sites
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| From the Obituaries Page on the Royal Society of British Artists website |
I noted while compiling my recent blog posts that some long established art societies have now established Obituary Pages on their websites.
It struck me that this recognised that prominent artists who have made a significant contribution to a society are NOT just those artists from history that art societies like to write about when boasting about their pedigree. They are also artists from the present.
So, by way of example, take a look at:
- Royal Society of British Artists - Obituaries Page - although interestingly this is not readily accessible via the main menu - which puzzled me.
- Pastel Society - Obituaries - accessible from the main menu - but via news rather than via members section.
- New English Art Club - List of All Past Members - This lists the artists in alphabetical order and provides a link to
- where you can see their art
- the tribute article about them
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| NEAC FAQs Page includes a question about past members |
How you categorise lists can be a challenge.
- Do you do it by surname - and hence are fair to all?
- Do you group by decade of election to membership? Making it more accessible for those knowing the age of the artist....
- Do you highlight those more prominent?
- Do you highlight past officers and those who worked hard for an art society?
There's no right answer - but it is worth giving some thought to. I'd argue there's scope for creating a database approach that allows people to search - although I doubt this will be a priority for any working member. Maybe a project for an enthusiastic and relevant skilled supporter?
CHECKLIST: Memberships of Art Societies
One of the critical things to do is to respect achievements through membership of art societies / groups
- in the death announcement
- by the art society / art group
The thing is that these days people are getting very much older and more infirm before they die. Continuing memberships can therefore be seen as something that is marginal to their life or an expensive indulgence. Which means some artists may not be members when they die - even if they have been past members. Hence those producing obituaries of members may rule them out as no longer relevant....
