Everything You Need to Know About Brexit and the Art World

Here's a handy guide.

Prime Minister David Cameron and former Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell campaigning to stay in the EU at Abbey Road studios. Photo: Jeremy Selwyn - WPA Pool/Getty Images.
Wolfgang Tillmans' anti-Brexit poster campaign at Photo London 2016. Photo: Lorena Muñoz-Alonso.

Wolfgang Tillmans’ anti-Brexit poster campaign at Photo London 2016. Photo: Lorena Muñoz-Alonso.

The world was stunned when the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. Reverberations from this decision, which split the population almost evenly—52 percent in favor of exiting, and 48 percent in favor of staying—are just being felt in different sectors of culture and the economy. Following the decision, the pound sterling dipped to “to levels not seen since 1985,” the BBC reports, and it remains to be seen how auctions and primary market sales will be affected.

Here’s everything you need to know about Brexit, as it relates to the art world.

The European Union and the Union flag sit together on bunting on March 17, 2016 in Knutsford, United Kingdom. Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.


The European Union and the Union flag sit together on bunting on March 17, 2016 in Knutsford, United Kingdom. Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

On Friday, artnet News discovered how the art world responded to Brexit after the historic decision.

It’s no question that a Brexit vote will impact the British art market, however, with the summer just in bloom, there were discussions as to how a Brexit vote will affect the London auctions next week.

 

As UK residents stay glued to the news, many British artists signed a petition against the Brexit vote in order to voice their concerns about severing that special relationship with the EU.

Alongside British artists, Damien Hirst created unique butterfly works and used his latest project as a way to campaign for the UK to stay.

Not only artists, but James Bond actor Daniel Craig was seen posing in Wolfgang Tillmans’ Anti-Brexit t-shirt to show his support of the EU and the remain vote.

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