US-Canada Trade Tariffs Hit Canadian Art Market Hard

(MENAFN- USA Art News) New tariffs stemming from a trade dispute between Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and US President Donald Trump are significantly impacting Canadian artists and galleries. Since August 22, the US has imposed a 50% tariff on various Canadian imports, including paintings, drawings, sculptures, prints, pastels, and collages. Other categories, such as feathers, bones, and animal parts, will particularly affect Indigenous artists.

In early September, Canada introduced its own counter-tariffs on hundreds of US imports. These included a 50% tariff on many materials used in art creation and transport, alongside certain printed materials like photographs. Notably, US-imported paintings, drawings, or pastels were already subject to a 25% tariff as of March 2025.

Mackenzie Sinclair, executive director of the Art Dealers Association of Canada (ADAC), told The Art Newspaper that the tariffs are“a significant concern for our members, given the close economic relationship between our two countries.” Sinclair added that approximately two-thirds of Canada's cultural exports go to the US. In 2023, Canada exported C$27.1 billion ($19 billion) in cultural products, with C$18.1 billion ($12.7 billion) destined for the US.

Sarah Macaulay, founding director of Macaulay & Co Fine Art, which has galleries in Vancouver and Toronto and represents artists such as First Nations painter Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun, indicated that US buyers previously accounted for around 10% of Yuxweluptun's sales.“Now we're more focused on Australia and Europe,” she said. Macaulay also confirmed she canceled plans to participate in a fair during Miami Art Week this December, citing the latest tariffs as making it“just too risky.”

Andy Sylvester, owner and director of Vancouver's Equinox Gallery, estimated that US buyers recently made up about 15% of his gallery's sales. He expects this figure will“likely be reduced to zero,” noting,“US tariffs on Canadian made art will affect the gallery and our artists both financially and opportunistically.”

At Art Toronto, Canada's largest art fair held annually in late October, US buyers typically account for a significant portion of sales. Emily-Jean Alexander, the fair's director, reported:“The 'Buy Canadian' rhetoric has been very prevalent, and it is heartening to see how communities across the country have been supporting artists now that these tariffs have been imposed.” Alexander also mentioned new programs for this autumn's Art Toronto, designed to help new art buyers support the national art market and build confidence in Canadian galleries and institutions.

Source: The Art Newspaper

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