Artists Rights Society Partners with Samsung to Bring Art to TV Screens

The Artists Rights Society (ARS) has struck a partnership with Samsung Art Store to display works by ARS-represented artists on Samsung TVs.

The New York–based ARS represents more than 120,000 artists for licensing images of their works in the United States. The collaboration launches with LeRoy Neiman, known for his expressionist depictions of sports, leisure, and other facets of Americana. A collection of 33 Neiman works is now available to license via the Samsung Art Store, with more artists set to join in the coming months.

"LeRoy Neiman's work has always had a remarkable ability to connect with audiences through its energy, color, and celebration of life," Tara Zabor, executive director of the Neiman Foundation, told ARTnews in an email. "We're thrilled to partner with Samsung and ARS to bring his art into homes around the world, introducing new audiences to his distinctive artistic vision while extending the reach of his enduring legacy."

Samsung framed the deal as a matter of fair compensation. "We're honored to partner with ARS to celebrate the legacy of artists like LeRoy Neiman, while ensuring that the estates entrusted with their legacies are fairly recognized and compensated," Kyle Menges, Samsung's director of business development, said in a statement.

ARS handles licensing for any publication of its artists' work in any form, editorial and commercial alike. Editorial licenses cover reproductions in exhibition catalogs, scholarly volumes, and even novel covers, as well as news coverage and criticism. Rates vary by use and distribution but can run around $130 for web use and around $250 for print reproductions in interiors, with covers costing more.

That context matters. Art publications have cut their print schedules or folded entirely in recent years, and the Samsung partnership gives ARS artists a new revenue stream. A Samsung Art Store subscription currently costs $4.99 per month plus taxes and fees.

"For nearly 40 years, our job at ARS has been to help artists encounter new audiences through licensing agreements that reflect the times and respect their practices," Katarina Feder, ARS's vice president and director of business development, said in a statement.

The Neiman collection arrives in a catalog of some 5,000 artworks by 800 artists already available to Samsung Art Store subscribers. Many of those works came through partnerships with institutions including the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The majority of those works are in the public domain and primarily date to before the 20th century, though some have been licensed via ARS through special agreements.

"Samsung Art Store's paid subscribers are able to enjoy artwork from ARS, museums and artists from around the world on Samsung's Art TVs," Andrea Fisher-Scherer, ARS's managing director for merchandise licensing, told ARTnews by email. "In all cases, rightsholders are compensated for the use of their intellectual property on the Art Store."

As streaming screens replace printed pages as a primary venue where audiences encounter art, the deal positions ARS's roster of 20th-century and contemporary artists inside a catalog that has so far leaned heavily on pre-modern public-domain holdings.