About Bridgeman

Information for Artists and Galleries

For over thirty-five years, Bridgeman Art Library has provided a service for artists and artists' estates, clearing copyright and reproduction rights on their behalf.

For over thirty-five years, Bridgeman Art Library has provided a service for artists and artists' estates, clearing copyright and reproduction rights on their behalf.

Our philosophy and history

Once upon a time (not so very long ago), Harriet Bridgeman came up with a brilliant idea... how we began, who we are and why we do it Read more

About Bridgeman

Everything you need to know about the world's top image library for art, culture and history. Quite simply, Bridgeman has the largest and most diverse archive of images in the world. Browse our categories and see for yourself Read more

Artists' Collecting Society

Artists' Collecting Society (ACS) was established as a collecting society in June 2006 to collect Artist's Resale Right (Droit de Suite) on behalf of member artists in the UK and overseas Read more

Small Yellow Bird, 2001 (oil on canvas) by Aitchison, Craigie (b.1926)

Bridgeman Art Library represents thousands of image suppliers - more than any other agency - including: 
  
      artists                              museums
        galleries                          
libraries
        institutions                     
universities
        stately homes
                 auctioneers
        photographers                
picture libraries
        private collections

Often, we photograph their work specifically to make their images available for reproduction. Bridgeman pioneered the model of returning a percentage of licensed income to partner image suppliers to help them conserve and exhibit their works.

The Bridgeman Artists' Copyright Service (BACS)

The Bridgeman Artists' Copyright Service is a service to artists and their estates to administer their copyright and sell reproduction licenses for their work. Our clients benefit from being able to pay in a single transaction for a reasonably priced license for both artist and photographic copyright. 

An Hour at Ower, Hampshire, 1914 by Augustus Edwin John (1878-1961)/ Private Collection

Bridgeman Copyright Artists & Estates

Artists and their estates join BACS in order to take advantage of our expertise and commercial awareness. Working with Bridgeman gives them the unique ability to have their copyright licensing policed and their images promoted to our international client base.

Some artists place a selection of images with us and grant us rights to license those specific images at our discretion. Others place their whole copyright with us for administration. This flexibility in working with artists’ differing preferences has allowed us to build up a body of images that clients find compelling.

Park Group I, 1990 (oil on canvas) by Schwartz, Daniel Bennett (Contemporary Artist)

Bridgeman Contemporary Artists

New artists at the forefront of the art scene, yet with commercial appeal, are being sourced all the time and can rely on us to ensure their art work is used in an ethical, sensitive way without being involved in the process - meaning less hassle for image buyers.

  • Over 500 contemporary artists with over 17,000 works
  • Easy image clearance - copyright cleared on your behalf
  • 'One stop shop' for image buyers - from image selection to licensing and rights

“It’s quite unusual for us to source an entire calendar from a single library but Bridgeman is such a complete resource, we didn’t need to look elsewhere.”
Vicky Chesterman – WHSmith

Leisure Hours, 1684 (oil on canvas) by Sir John Everett Millais (1829-96)/ The Detroit Institute of Arts, USA/ Founders Society Purchase, R.H. Tannahill Foundation fund

Museums & Collections

For over thirty-five years the Bridgeman Art Library has been working with museums from around the world. From large museums to galleries, historical societies to universities, many of the treasures in these collections had never been made readily accessible to a wider audience until they were photographed specifically for Bridgeman to make available for reproduction. As with the artists we represent, Bridgeman passes along 50% of the reproduction fee back to the museum or collection in order to provide vital revenue for conservation and future exhibitions.