The Visual artist and the law by Shane Simpson
Shane Simpson: The Visual Artist and the Law (second edition), The Law Book Company, Sydney 1989.
In artistic circles it is not uncommon to find art and the law set up in opposition to each other; to have the allegedly unconventional creative activity of individuals within the art world set against a caricature of the law as a dull, impersonal world of grey suits, repressive rules and an unhealthy desire for money. Such an oversimplification of the relationship between these two fields tends to be called into play every time art breaches a legal boundary, every time "the law" stops an artist from doing something. Thus, rather than thinking of the law as a positive agency in the definition and facilitation of particular activities, artists often set it up as simply a set of restrictions, a repressive apparatus designed to restrict natural creativity.
Shane Simpson's The Visual Artist and the Law is careful to avoid such a simplistic view. Instead, it sets out to assist both lawyers and artists in their negotiation of the, sometimes difficult, boundary between the two fields. First published in 1982, The Visual Artist and the Law has had a significant impact on the operations of the visual arts industry over the last six years. To cite only one example, a number of the "model contracts" which first received exposure in Simpson's book are now in common use, functioning as "standard contracts" within the industry.
However, Simpson's role in changing the framework for Arts Law in Australia has not been limited to the publication of a single handbook. He played a vital role in the initial few years of the Arts Law Centre of Australia, and since moving into private practice, has continued to write and lecture on arts law matters, as