Siegelaub / The Artist’s Reserved Rights Transfer And Sale Agreement

Developed through conversations with members of the art world and written with the help of lawyer Robert Projansky in 1971, Seth Siegelaub’s Artist’s Reserved Rights Transfer And Sale Agreement was designed to safeguard the economic interests of artists, particularly in the case of an artwork’s resale, reproduction, or rental. Intended to serve as an accessible document for all artists, the contract was written in an easily comprehensible style and was widely distributed through art journals and magazines—characteristics shared by much of the artwork Siegelaub was currently representing. Since its publication in English, French, German, and Italian, the document has been used by a diverse range of artists.

Seth Siegelaub (b. 1941 – 2013) was an American curator, art dealer, and author. Through his gallery, Seth Siegelaub Contemporary Art, and his later curatorial practice, Siegelaub introduced the art world to both a wide array of innovative conceptual artists and radically new ways of exhibiting and distributing art. Following his early work in the arts, Siegelaub went on to work as a political researcher and a collector and bibliographer of textiles.