Artwork Rights, Image Licensing & AI Use Policy
This page explains how artworks, artwork images and related content published by Carlos Simpson Art may be viewed, cited, reproduced, licensed or otherwise accessed. It also acts as the public rights and permissions page for artwork images and related visual assets where structured data, image metadata or rights notices point to this page as the applicable licensing and usage reference.
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1. What this page covers
This policy applies to original content published on the Carlos Simpson Art website unless a different licence, rights statement or third-party attribution is expressly stated on the relevant artwork, image, page, publication or product listing.
Artwork ownership and rights
This page covers original artworks, paintings, drawings, mixed-media works, artwork titles, series descriptions and other original artistic works presented through Carlos Simpson Art unless a different rights statement is expressly provided.
Reproductions, documentation and visual assets
It also covers artwork photographs, catalogue images, portfolio visuals, editorial reproductions, product images, exhibition images and other artwork-related visuals published on the site.
Rights, image licensing and AI use
This page sets out permitted use, restricted use, licensing requests, editorial and exhibition permissions, AI-use restrictions and the conditions under which artworks or artwork images may or may not be reused.
Important: this page is intended as the rights and permissions page for Carlos Simpson Art. It addresses artwork ownership, image licensing, reproduction rights and AI-use restrictions for the art website. It does not automatically grant rights in third-party materials, collaborative works or other Carlos Simpson properties unless those rights are expressly stated.
2. Ownership of artworks and related content
Unless otherwise stated, original content published on this website is protected by copyright, design rights, database rights, trademark law and other applicable intellectual property rights. Rights may sit with Carlos Simpson, CARLOS SIMPSON™, Carlos Simpson Art or another clearly identified rights holder where expressly stated.
Carlos Simpson Art operates within a wider Carlos Simpson brand and publishing ecosystem. Certain pages, publications, references or project materials on this website may refer to or intersect with associated Carlos Simpson properties, including Politics Design, BE(YOU)FULL, Carlos Simpson Design Studio and Carlos Simpson Music. Where such materials appear, rights may remain with Carlos Simpson, CARLOS SIMPSON™, Carlos Simpson Art, or the relevant named project or rights holder as indicated by the context. Their presence on this website does not grant permission to reproduce, republish or commercially exploit them without prior written approval.
Protected art-site content may include
- original artworks, paintings, drawings, prints, mixed-media works and digital or physical visual works;
- artwork images, installation views, exhibition photographs, portfolio images and catalogue visuals;
- titles, captions, series texts, collection notes, essays, editorial writing and publication extracts;
- product images, packaging visuals, print previews and art-related promotional imagery;
- logos, names, marks, titles and brand identifiers used by Carlos Simpson Art; and
- other original content created by or for Carlos Simpson Art and published on this website unless expressly credited to a third party.
Third-party and contextual materials
Some pages may include contextual references, press coverage, exhibition documentation, collaborative work, partner materials or third-party content used with permission or under another lawful basis.
Rights in those materials may remain with the relevant gallery, commissioner, collaborator, publisher, photographer or other third-party rights holder. This policy does not grant permission to reuse third-party or client-owned materials simply because they appear on the Carlos Simpson Art website.
3. Buying an artwork is not the same as buying copyright
This is the most important distinction on an art website. Unless a separate written agreement expressly states otherwise, the purchase of an original artwork, print, publication or art-related product does not transfer copyright, reproduction rights, image licensing rights, merchandising rights or commercial usage rights.
Ownership of the physical item
A buyer usually acquires ownership of the physical artwork, print or product they purchased, subject to any sale terms, authenticity notes, shipping terms or other transaction conditions.
Copyright and reproduction rights
Unless expressly granted in writing, the buyer does not automatically acquire copyright, reproduction rights, publication rights, commercial licensing rights, adaptation rights or rights to create derivative products from the artwork or its image.
Reproduction, publishing and commercial use remain controlled
Reproducing an artwork in a book, catalogue, exhibition text, website, campaign, product line, AI workflow or promotional material usually requires separate permission even if the physical work has been sold.
In short: owning the artwork is not the same as owning the image rights, publishing rights or copyright in the artwork. If you want to reproduce or commercially use the artwork or its image, ask for permission first.
4. Artwork image rights and image licensing
Many images published on this website are original photographs, reproductions or digital representations of Carlos Simpson’s artwork. Unless a different licence is expressly stated, those images remain protected by copyright and related rights even where they are publicly viewable online.
Press, journalism and review use
Journalists, critics, editors and cultural publications may request permission to reproduce selected artwork images for review, commentary, interviews, press coverage or other editorial contexts.
Teaching, research and scholarly use
Researchers, educators and institutions may request permission to use artwork images in lectures, articles, research outputs, teaching materials or other educational contexts.
Curatorial and institutional use
Galleries, curators, museums and institutions may request permission for exhibition materials, catalogues, wall texts, press packs, event promotion or collection documentation.
Publishing, campaigns and commercial reproduction
Commercial use of artwork images in books, products, campaigns, packaging, advertising, merchandising, corporate publications or other revenue-generating contexts requires prior written permission and may require a separate licence agreement.
The presence of an artwork image online does not mean it is free to reuse, download for publication, reproduce in another work, turn into merchandise or use in AI-generated derivative outputs.
5. How to request a licence or permission
This section is intended to operate as the public licensing acquisition page for artwork images and related content where structured data, image metadata or rights notices point to this page as the relevant acquireLicensePage, license or usageInfo destination.
Licensing and permissions contact
Carlos Simpson Art
Email: art@carlossimpson.com
Suggested subject line: Artwork Licensing Request – [Artwork / Image / Page]
What to include in your request
- the artwork, image, page, publication or asset you want to use;
- the URL of the relevant page on the Carlos Simpson Art website;
- whether the use is editorial, academic, exhibition-related, institutional or commercial;
- where the image or material will appear and in what format;
- territory, audience and intended duration of use;
- whether you require digital use, print use, catalogue use, exhibition use, product use or another specific permission; and
- any publication deadline, exhibition date or approval timeline.
Submit the request
Send the artwork or image reference, intended use and usage details to the art licensing contact address above.
Rights review
The request is reviewed to confirm whether the image or work can be licensed, whether third-party permissions are involved and what conditions would apply.
Licensing response
If the request can proceed, terms may include attribution, scope, media, duration, approval requirements, fee arrangements or other licensing conditions.
Written permission only
No licence is granted unless and until written confirmation has been issued by Carlos Simpson Art or the relevant authorised rights holder.
6. Usage information, attribution and rights context
This page may also function as the public usageInfo reference for selected artwork images and creative works. Where that is the case, it should be read as providing additional information about permitted use, attribution expectations, licensing context, restrictions and the route for obtaining further permissions.
Citation, credit and art reference
If you are referring to a public artwork page, article, interview or publication from the Carlos Simpson Art website in a scholarly, editorial or professional context, please attribute the work accurately to Carlos Simpson or Carlos Simpson Art as appropriate and link to the original page where possible.
Citation of a page or mention of an artwork title is not the same as permission to reproduce the artwork image, a detail from the artwork, a catalogue image, an installation view or a substantial extract from associated written material.
Publicly visible does not mean freely reusable
A work may be visible online for portfolio, exhibition, informational, editorial, e-commerce or archival purposes while still requiring permission for reproduction, republication, redistribution, adaptation, merchandising, commercial use or machine use.
Where a specific work is published under separate licensing terms, those terms will govern that work. Otherwise, the default position is that permission must be requested for reuse beyond lawful viewing, linking, brief quotation or other use expressly permitted by law.
7. AI, automated extraction and machine use of artworks and artwork images
Unless explicitly authorised in writing, artworks, artwork images and related content published on this website may not be used for AI training, machine learning training, dataset construction, model fine-tuning, embedding, retrieval-augmented generation systems, automated summarisation products, synthetic derivative generation or large-scale automated extraction beyond ordinary search indexing and lawful technical access necessary to display public webpages.
Training and dataset use
Artwork images, artwork details, catalogue visuals, texts, captions, metadata and related materials may not be scraped, harvested or ingested to create AI training datasets or to train, fine-tune or improve commercial or internal AI systems without prior written permission.
Embedding and synthetic derivative use
Artwork images and related content may not be embedded or stored for AI-driven retrieval, question-answering, image generation, synthetic derivative generation or automated content products in a way that reproduces, imitates, exploits or materially substitutes for the original work without permission.
Ordinary search visibility remains distinct
Nothing in this policy is intended to prevent ordinary indexing by search engines or standard discovery features generated in accordance with normal web protocols. Search visibility should not be interpreted as a waiver of rights or consent for commercial AI reuse.
If you are a publisher, platform, institution, gallery, software provider or AI developer seeking permission to use artworks or artwork images in a machine-readable, machine-learning or AI-related workflow, contact Carlos Simpson Art before proceeding.
8. Quick rights matrix
The matrix below is a practical summary only. It does not replace a specific written licence, sales agreement or rights agreement.
| Use case | Usually permitted without request? | Permission usually required? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linking to a public artwork page | Yes | No | Provided the link does not imply endorsement or misrepresent ownership or rights. |
| Brief quotation from an artwork essay or public article with attribution | Usually yes | Sometimes | Must be lawful, proportionate and properly attributed. Substantial extraction is different. |
| Reproducing an artwork image in a book, article, catalogue or website | No | Yes | Permission is normally required before republication, reuse or adaptation. |
| Using an artwork image in a commercial campaign, product or publication | No | Yes | Commercial use requires prior written permission and may require a separate licence agreement. |
| Owning a purchased artwork and then reproducing it commercially | No | Yes | Owning the physical artwork does not automatically transfer copyright or reproduction rights. |
| AI training, fine-tuning, dataset creation or automated extraction | No | Yes | Not permitted without prior written permission. |
| Search engine indexing and display in ordinary search results | Yes | No | Normal indexing is distinct from content licensing or AI reuse. |
9. Frequently asked questions
Can I reuse an artwork image if I credit Carlos Simpson?
Not automatically. Attribution does not replace permission where permission is required. Many artwork images, catalogue visuals, installation photographs and other art-related visuals remain protected even if they are publicly visible online. If you want to reuse them beyond ordinary lawful viewing or reference, request permission first.
Does buying an original artwork mean I can reproduce it in a book, product or campaign?
No, not unless a separate written agreement expressly grants those rights. Buying a physical artwork is not the same as acquiring copyright, image licensing rights, reproduction rights or merchandising rights.
Does this page function as the art site’s acquireLicensePage for Google image licensing metadata?
Yes, where the relevant artwork image metadata or structured data points to this page as the applicable rights, licensing or usage reference. In that context, this page is intended to explain how licensing requests can be made and what information should be provided.
Can I use an artwork image for teaching, research, an exhibition talk or an academic presentation?
Not by default. Some contextual or lawful quotation uses may exist, but reproducing the artwork image itself, a detail from the artwork or a catalogue visual usually requires permission unless a separate licence has been granted.
Can artwork images from this website be used for AI training, fine-tuning or image generation workflows?
No, not unless prior written permission has been granted. This applies to artwork images, catalogue visuals, captions, metadata, related texts and other original materials published on the site unless a different written licence is expressly stated.