Peopleengagewithauthoredworksallthetime.Theybuypaintings,readbooks,downloadsongs-theymayevenbeartiststhemselves.Veryrarely,however,istheconceptofauthorshipbroughtintoquestion.Thebasicideathattheartistasanauthormaintainssomekindofclaimtohisorhercreation,evenasitcirculatesintheworldatlarge,seemsnatural.Itisthebasisforcopyrightlawandmoralrightslegislationwhichprotecttherightsofauthors.Butwhatisanauthor,andwhydoartistsreceivespeciallegalrecognitionandprotectionthatthecreatorsofotherkindsofartefactsdonot?Itisoftenassumedthatartistshaveaspecialbondwiththeirartworks,butthenatureofthisbondanditsfunctionasthesourceofanartist’sauthorityovertheirworkoftengoesunquestioned.ArtandAuthorityisaphilosophicalessayonartisticfreedom:itssources,nature,andlimits.Artisticfreedomcanmeandifferentthingsdependingonthecontextinwhichitisinvoked.K.E.Goverarguesthatthemostfundamentalformofartisticfreedominvolvestheartist’sauthoritytoacceptordisavowtheworksthattheyproduceandtocuratetheworksthatbeartheirname.Ourveryconceptofwhatanartworkistheintentionalexpressionoftheartist,foritsownsakedependsonthissecond-orderendorsementbytheartistofwhattheyhavemade.Usingreal-worldcasesandcontroversiesincontemporaryvisualart,Goverarguesthattheleadingaccountsofartisticauthorshipinthelegalandphilosophicalliteraturehaveoverlookedthesignificanceofthismoment.
