Artists Entering the Public Domain in 2026

15 September 2025

Public Domain Day occurs annually on January 1, marking the date when copyrights expire for certain works, allowing them to enter the public domain. On January 1, 2026, copyright protection will end in many countries for works by creators who died in 1955. This means their work will no longer require additional copyright clearance. Some notable entries for 2026 are Fernand Léger, Yves Tanguy and Max Pechstein.

What does this mean in terms of usage? It means that additional artists’ clearance permissions for use are no longer required for these works. However, they do not become free to use from any source. Licensing fees still apply. To best explain this, it helps to think of an image as having two separate categories of copyright. Using the following example of Palau Triptych, by Max Pechstein.

*Palau Triptych,* Max Pechstein. AKG274650 © akg-images

The artist's copyright belongs to the estate of Max Pechstein. Non-editorial use of the image before 1 January 2026 would require a license from the artist's representative. This requirement ends when the artist's work falls into the public domain.
The digital file of the image also has ownership, and in most cases has a separate copyright. The requirement to obtain a license to use the image remains unchanged regardless of its public domain status.

Scroll down to view the list we've compiled to help you prepare projects for publication in 2026 without needing to work around artists’ copyright. Please get in touch for more information, assistance with picture research, and to confirm copyright status in your region.

Click here for our album of works entering the public domain on 1st January 2026.