Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz Partner with Bonhams to Launch Artist Royalty Program

Alicia Keys and Kasseem “Swizz Beatz” Dean are partnering with international auction house Bonhams on a new voluntary program designed to give visual artists a share of the proceeds when their work is resold.

Called The Deans’ Choice, the initiative allows consignors to direct a percentage of a work’s hammer price to the artist when the piece is sold through Bonhams. The auction house will match the consignor’s contribution, creating a resale royalty for artists without requiring a change to U.S. law. The program is set to launch ahead of Bonhams’ flagship New York auctions in November.

As musicians, Keys and Dean are familiar with royalty systems that allow creators to receive compensation when copyrighted works are used, streamed or publicly performed. Visual artists generally do not have the same federal resale rights in the U.S.

The Deans’ Choice, in partnership with Bonhams, seeks to rectify that. The new program outlines an elective sale-royalty system.  Buyers can opt to direct a percentage of resale proceeds to the artist. Then, Bonhams will match the elected percentage from its buyer’s premium on the sold lot.

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How U.S. Legislation Fails Visual Artists 

An artist’s work may appreciate exponentially after it leaves their studio. Yet in the U.S., no federal resale royalty program protects visual artists. This means creators do not receive a percentage when their work is resold at auctions or galleries. Lawmakers proposed the America Royalties Too Act of 2025 (H.R. 4017). The bill was meant to secure artists’ right to copyright their work and establish a 5% resale royalty on major auction sales. It remains pending in a House committee and has not yet come up for a vote. 

Europe and Australia are far ahead of the U.S. in this regard. In the European Union and the U.K., artists’ rights are protected by law. Resale royalties are enforced in more than 90 countries. The law asserts that 0.25% to 5% of secondary sales should be awarded to the artist. This is capped at €12,500 ($14,350) per sale. Australia operates a federal resale royalty scheme providing creators 5% on commercial secondary sales over $1000 AUD, or more. 

Keys and Dean witnessed the injustice in U.S. laws firsthand. In 2018, the couple attended a Sotheby’s auction where Kerry James Marshall’s 1997 work, “Past Times,” sold for $21 million. The sale set a Sotheby’s House record for the largest price ever paid at auction for a work by a living African American artist. Yet Marshall did not profit from the sale at all. 

“The inspiration behind The Deans’ Choice came when we realized that living visual artists weren’t participating in the re-sale of their works at auction or secondary market,” the couple said in a joint statement on Instagram.

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The Deans’ Choice 

Determined to make a change, Keys and Dean partnered with Bonhams, a privately owned, global auction house that specializes in selling fine art, antiques, classic cars, jewelry, and rare collectables. Founded in London in 1793, Bonhams is one of the world’s oldest auctioneers. They provide valuation, authentication, and auction services for buyers and sellers globally. Bonhams sales rooms are located in New York, Los Angeles, and Hong Kong. 

The Deans’ Choice is an opportunity for artists to share in the value of their work. When a piece is sold, Bonhams offers the seller the option to direct a percentage of the hammer sale directly to the artist. Bonhams will then match that amount from its own buyer’s premium on the sold lot upon completion of the sale. The consignor determines the royalty rate, with a minimum of 1% of the hammer price or $500, whichever is greater. This initiative is entirely voluntary for both artists and sellers and is set to launch ahead of Bonhams’ flagship New York auctions this November. Currently, The Deans’ Choice program applies to U.S. auctions only. 

“Artists have told us directly that this is the direction they’ve been asking the market to take for a long time,” Seth Johnson, Bonhams’ chief executive, tells The Art Newspaper in a statement.

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A Move Toward Conscious Collecting 

Keys and Dean are prolific art collectors themselves, and have long advocated for artists to receive royalties. Instead of waiting for legislation to catch up, the couple partnered with one of the oldest auction houses to pioneer a program that includes artists in the reselling of their work. As more collectors become conscious of building their collection ethically, The Deans’ Choice gives them a way to financially remunerate the artist. 

“Collectors are increasingly attentive to collecting in a way that reflects their values, and this program gives them a straightforward way to do that. If others decide to follow suit, that’s a win for artists and for the market,” Johnson says. “We believe this is where the market is heading, and we intend to help take it there.” 

Keys and Dean are evolving the U.S. art market with the first-ever art auction royalty mechanism in the country. 

Main Image: Kasseem Dean, Alicia Keys, and Seth Johnson. Courtesy of Bonhams.