"For 2026 this includes artworks by Fernand Léger, Nicolas de Staël and Maurice Utrillo (all of whom died in 1955) across the EU, the UK and other countries with a life-plus-70 rule. In such countries, these works can now be reproduced, published, digitised and shared online without needing permission from the copyright owners. The public domain is a wonderful "place": it allows free use and is open to everyone."
"But some countries have different durations. Many stick to the Berne Convention minimum, which is a shorter life-plus-50 rule. For them, works by Léger, de Staël and Utrillo are old news, having been in the public domain for 20 years already. Instead, this year they celebrate the public domain debut of artists who died in 1975, like Barbara Hepworth. Many countries in Asia, the Middle East and Africa-and, for now, New Zealand-are in this group."
Copyright duration calculations end on 31 December under rules from the Berne Convention, so many countries measure terms by year-end. Numerous jurisdictions apply a life-plus-70-years rule, which means works by creators who died 70 years earlier enter the public domain on 1 January. For 2026, artworks by Fernand Léger, Nicolas de Staël and Maurice Utrillo (died 1955) become free to reproduce, publish, digitise and share in life-plus-70 territories. Other countries follow a life-plus-50 rule, where those same works entered the public domain two decades earlier and nations in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and New Zealand observe the shorter term.
Read at The Art Newspaper - International art news and events
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