Paintings, photographs and films created in 1930 have slipped their US copyright shackles and are now in the public domain, allowing anyone to copy, share or rework them without seeking permission, per artnews.com.
Under American law, works published 95 years ago lose protection unless rights were renewed, an expensive step few estates bother with. Each January 1, Duke University’s Center for the Study of the Public Domain publishes a definitive list; this year’s roll-call includes some of modernism’s biggest names.
Highlights entering the commons
Piet Mondrian, Composition with Red, Blue and Yellow
The Dutch pioneer’s grid of primary colours, held by Zurich’s Kunsthaus, becomes legally reproducible. A sister canvas fetched £41 million at Sotheby’s in 2022.
Salvador Dalí & Luis Buñuel, L’Âge d’Or
The surrealist shocker, once banned for its erotic imagery, can now be streamed or sampled without licensing fees.
José Clemente Orozco, Prometheus
The Mexican muralist’s first US fresco, painted for Pomona College dining hall, is open to high-resolution photography and educational reuse.
Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Composition
MoMA’s shimmering abstract, laced with metallic pigment, signals the growing recognition of the Swiss polymath.
Edward Steichen, 1930 Vogue photographs
The photographer’s dramatically lit fashion spreads can be reprinted royalty-free.
Paul Klee, Tier Freundschaft (Animal Friendship)
The Reina Sofía’s playful menagerie is now free to adorn posters, textbooks or memes.
Words and music join the visual arts: William Faulkner’s novel As I Lay Dying, Freud’s Civilization and Its Discontents and the Marx Brothers’ film Animal Crackers are likewise unfettered, while cartoon icon Betty Boop enters the public domain alongside an early version of Disney’s Pluto, then called Rover.
Users should note that the physical works themselves are free; high-quality photographs taken later may still be restricted if the museum or photographer claims a fresh copyright.
•Featured image: Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí, L’Âge d’Or (still), 1930/Public Domain
