Who Profits When Art is Resold? Spoiler: Not the Artist!

"Everyone profits when the art changes hands, except the one who made it."

Art Resale Royalties: Why Do Artists Get Shut Out?

The art market loves a comeback story, especially when the artist isn’t invited to the party.
A painting sells once, then sells again for ten times more, and the person who made it gets nothing. Nothing. Not a message, not a dime. Just the memory of the first check.

Musicians get checks. Filmmakers, residuals. Writers, royalties.
Artists? Silence. Maybe a tag on Instagram if they’re lucky.

Monday Bitch | Catapult Uncensored: Honest Takes on Artists & Digital Culture

Sharp, witty weekly column by Dominique Foertig on artists, social media, and digital culture. A critical, honest look at life behind online façades

Catapult - The New Munchies Art Club | Critical CuratorsDiFranco

The secondary market smells like champagne and old money, a feast where the artist doesn’t get a seat.
Collectors trade, prices rise, galleries toast to record numbers.
Meanwhile, the creator watches from outside the glass, wondering when value turned into vapor.

Sure, some countries offer droit de suite (France, Germany, Australia), a small slice, 3 to 5 percent, if you’re lucky and if someone enforces it.
But in most places, it’s still a shrug.
The art world calls it tradition. I call it amnesia.
And we’re supposed to be grateful? Please.

Is the Art Fair Era Cracking or Evolving?

2025 was the year art fairs stopped performing and started changing. Collaboration reshaped visibility and community as the art world prepared for 2026.

Catapult - The New Munchies Art Club | Critical CuratorsDominique Catherina Foertig

Maybe it’s time to stop waiting for fairness to trickle down.
Change won’t come from the market. You can almost feel the silence after every record sale.
It comes when artists stop playing along quietly.
When they call it out, write it in, demand it back.
Through collectives, contracts, and conversations that refuse to fade.
By changing who profits when the art moves, resale, royalties, and respect.

Because the system was built before artists had power.
And maybe this time, they won’t wait for permission.

What Can You Do?

What Can You Do?
Artists and supporters, don’t just watch while your work fattens someone else’s wallet.
Start saying the quiet part out loud. Talk about resale royalties, tag the galleries, call the auctions, back the ones fighting for artists’ rights.
If nobody asks for a cut, nobody gets one.
And keep painting, creating, ranting, because visibility is power.
Now go on, spill your own Monday Bitch.

👉 If you believe artists deserve a share in the success they create, say it louder.

Heart lighter.
Monday Bitch. Every Monday.
And yes, spill your own Monday Bitch in the comments.