I’ve worked on dozens of these “print on demand” programs over the last 10+ years for museums and galleries like Tate, MoMA, The National Gallery etc. They are a fairly standard part of most museum’s retail operations, but this is a particularly nice example.
Licensing for fine art reproductions in museum retail can work in very strange ways, even if the work is out of copyright. For example, if a work is not part of the gallery’s collection, permission may be sought from the owner who may or may not own the high res, as well as the estate of the artist. I many cases this is not required as the work is not in copyright, but nobody wants to step out of line.
Licensing for fine art reproductions in museum retail can work in very strange ways, even if the work is out of copyright. For example, if a work is not part of the gallery’s collection, permission may be sought from the owner who may or may not own the high res, as well as the estate of the artist. I many cases this is not required as the work is not in copyright, but nobody wants to step out of line.