The Artist's Estate

Book excerpt: Andy Warhol bequeathed us the words "Death can really make you look like a star." But death per se is not a catalyst for the relevance of an artist. What is of crucial importance is the proper management structure for the posthumous preservation and development of an artistic estate. The handbook by Loretta Würtenberger presents the possible legal framework, appropriate financing models, as well as the proper handling of the market, museums, and academia. Her business, Fine Art Partners, has advised artists and artists' estates for many years in their structuring and development of estate concepts as well as in operative questions. Based on numerous international examples, the author explains the different alternatives for maintaining an artist's estate and makes recommendations on how to ideally handle work, archives, and mementos following the death of an artist.