Kunstenaars honorarium

ABOUT RKH

Initiators of the guideline are Kunstenbond, Platform Beeldende Kunst, Beroepsvereniging van Beeldende Kunstenaars and De Zaak Nu - united in BKNL. RKH is a joint initiative to achieve fair practice in professional contract practice between institutions and artists.

In addition to interest groups, art institutions and artists, more and more governments and cultural funds are endorsing and supporting the Guideline. The Mondriaan Fund, the national cultural fund for visual arts and cultural heritage, the Ministry of OCW and the private Fund 21 apply the Guideline in the practice of assessing applications. Regional funds such as Kunstcentrum Stroom The Hague, and the Amsterdam Fund for the Arts, also endorse RKH and argue that it should be mandatory for every arts planning institution working with visual artists.

The Mondriaan Fund has budget in 2023 and 2024 for a scheme that encourages the application of the Guideline. Visual art institutions in the Netherlands that apply RKH can apply for partial compensation for fees to artists. The Ministry of OCW has made a budget available for this purpose.

2. Definitions

Art institution: a publicly accessible organization based in the Netherlands that exhibits contemporary visual art and has as its core activity the presentation of visual art and/or heritage without a sales objective.

Artist

One who creates work professionally within the framework of the visual arts.

Fine art

Contemporary and current forms of imagination produced by visual artists within one or more of the following areas:

• Drawing, painting and graphic arts
• Sculpture, (social) sculpture and installation art
• Conceptual art, performance art, artistic research
• Non-traditional forms of visual art
• Photography
• Audiovisual, digital, sound and (new) media art
• Visual arts applications
• Art in public space

Contractors

The art institution and the artist entering into an agreement regarding work done by the artist in the context of a presentation.

Artist's fee

Compensation for work agreed between contractors in connection with a presentation, separate from an expense or expense allowance.

New work

Work developed by the artist on commission or at the request of the art institution and/or work by the artist selected by the curator that has not previously been presented in a publicly accessible presentation.

Existing work

Work that does not require modification and has been previously presented at a publicly accessible presentation.

Adaptation of existing work

Work that does not fall within the categories of new work or existing work. For example, it may be existing work that needs to be redone or work to adapt an installation to the size of the presentation space.

Work

A wide range of activities, separate from the production of a work of art, that relate to the organization of an event or presentation, including any guest curatorship.

Solo presentation

A presentation featuring works by one artist.

Duo presentation

A presentation featuring works by two artists presenting together.

Group presentation

A presentation featuring works by two or more artists.

3. Apply or explain and apply AND explain

Here, with modified wording, RKH is walking in line with the principles of the Governance Code of Culture.

Those who, because of the character or size of their organization, wish to deviate from the artist's fees guideline are free to do so. In the context of accountability and transparency, however, it is important to be able to explain this. Hence the principle: 'apply or explain'. Even if the Directive is applied, it is important to inform the contract partner properly about its implementation. Hence also the principle 'comply and explain'.

Origins-history

Before 2017, there was no fee guideline or model in the Netherlands with a national effect. Each museum and presentation institution had its own fee policy for visual artists.

To gain a better understanding of the practice, at the end of 2014 Beeldende Kunst Nederland (BKNL) conducted an inventory among art museums, presentation institutions and visual artists on fees for presentations without a sales objective. The survey revealed that in two-thirds of the cases there was no fee. Both artists and institutions indicated a need for a guideline or flexible guideline to streamline the diversity of agreements and to make them more accountable.

In 2016, the visual arts sector joined forces to professionalize contract practice and achieve better agreements and mutual coordination on fees. The members of BKNL took the initiative for a practically applicable Guideline, which was launched on January 1, 2017.The Guideline and accompanying website were officially presented at the beginning of 2017 in the presence of Minister Bussemaker of the Ministry of OCW, the chair of the Social and Economic Council , Mariëtte Hamer, and Council for Culture chair Marijke van Hees. By signing a covenant, various organizations and art institutions endorsed the Directive. The broad support for the Directive demonstrates the strength of the visual arts field and the value of good mutual consultation and cooperation. With the Directive, the sector demonstrates social entrepreneurship and gives concrete form to improving the labor market position of artists.

To encourage the application of the Directive, the Mondrian Fund had an experimental regulation that provided for partial compensation for institutions applying the Directive. Currently, compensation can be requested through the temporary arrangement Artist's Fee. The Cabinet has made a budget available for this purpose through the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.

The effectiveness of the Guideline is being monitored by BKNL. Research from 2018 shows that the Guideline is already catching on the first year after its introduction. The number of museums and institutions honoring artists has doubled in one year. Some 80 percent of artists and 90 percent of museums and art institutions are familiar with the Guideline. Two thirds of the institutions indicate that they actually apply the Directive; this is remarkable, because before the Directive was introduced, two thirds of the institutions did not pay any fees. An incentive contribution from the Mondriaan Fund appears to be crucial in this regard. The Guideline is appreciated as being clear and easy to apply in practice. Both artists and institutions feel strengthened in the discussion about money. The Guideline leads to better compensation for presentations without a sales goal and a more professional contract practice.