New Report: Earnings and Contracts of UK Visual Artists

CREATe is happy to announce the launch of its latest report, examining the earnings and contracts of UK visual artists. This report is part of a longitudinal research series on creators’ earnings and contracts conducted by Arthur Ehlinger, Amy Thomas, Martin Kretschmer, Michele Battisti, and Helena Saenz de Juano Ribes. It is a key contribution to our new research theme, Dealing with Creators. The study surveyed 1,451 visual artists and included interviews and focus groups to provide valuable qualitative context alongside the quantitative findings. This independent research was commissioned and funded by the Design and Artists Copyright Society (DACS).

Read and download our Statistical Report and Policy Report.

Key Findings

Primary Occupation visual artists earn a typical (median) self-employed income of £12,500 per year, which is 64.2% lower than the median UK worker’s income (£34,963 in 2023) and 47.5% lower than full-time minimum wage earnings (£23,795, based on a 40-hour work week). To make ends meet, many visual artists take on additional jobs, with 46% of these roles being in non-creative fields.

Compared to our 2011 report, the data reveals a significant decline in earnings. In real terms, individual median income has fallen by 48.8% while median self-employed income has dropped by 47.5% between 2010 and 2023.

While the survey reflects an almost equal representation of men and women in the visual arts, there are important gender disparities in specific fields. For instance, 75.7% of photographers are men, while 60.8% of illustrators are women. Demographic variables have an important impact on earning potential. There is a clear gender pay gap, with women typically earning 40% less (£7,500) compared to men (£12,500) from their self-employed earnings as a visual artist. Even more drastic is the 70% pay gap between disabled and non-disabled visual artists, with disabled artists earning just £3,750 annually, while their non-disabled counterparts earn £12,500.

The impact of Brexit on visual artists is profound: 56.5% of respondents reported changes in demand for their services in the UK or EU post-Brexit, and 97.7% described these changes as negative. Furthermore, 26.5% found working abroad post-Brexit to be “very challenging,” primarily due to Increased expenses (53.5%) and Visa and work permit requirements (39.1%).

The report also highlights key challenges faced by visual artists, including:

• Copyright, Credit & Attribution: Persistent struggles with recognition and proper attribution.
• Pricing Challenges: Difficulties in setting and negotiating fair prices for their work.
• Emerging Technologies: The growing influence of technologies like AI on the visual arts sector.

From the authors:

Amy Thomas and Arthur Ehlinger, lead researchers said:

Martin Kretschmer, Professor of Intellectual Property Law and Director of the CREATe Centre, designed the underlying framework for investigating the labour markets of creators through regular, standardised surveys. He said:

A note on methodology

We use the largest available professional networks to reach each group of creators, including artists, authors, and performers. This outreach is typically conducted through Collective Management Organisations (CMOs), as well as trade associations, unions, and other networks.

While this approach is not suitable for identifying the total number of creators in a given country, it is designed to capture a representative sample of professional creators within the sector under study. By stratifying creators based on their primary occupation (through time allocation), we ensure that our data represents a professional group accurately. This methodology also enables comparisons across sectors, countries, and over time.