Potential New U.S. Tariffs and Their Impact on the Visual Arts

Potential New U.S. Tariffs and Their Impact on the Visual Arts

Aug. 14, 2026

The United States has announced that a new set of tariffs would be applied to selected imports from Canada at 12:01 a.m. EST on August 19, 2026. As this is a rapidly evolving situation, there is no way to know with absolute confidence whether these tariffs will be applied, or for how long.

However, it is very important that artists and artisans in Canada be aware of this new development and the potential impact of new tariffs on their income and creative practices as a whole.

The current list of new tariffs can be found here.

The Canadian Craft Federation has compiled an excellent resource that will also be of great benefit to Canadian Visual Artists. You can access it here.

There are several items that will be of particular concern for Canadian artists. The Annex linked above lists items of fine art that will be subject to a 50% tariff. This Annex also includes items that will have a direct impact on Indigenous, Inuit, and Métis creators working in customary practices, as well as in sculpture and print.

The list includes:

●      Paintings, drawings, pastels and collages

●      Original prints and lithographs

●      Sculptures and jewellery

●      Textiles, wood products and other handmade works

●      Raw furskins, fur products, hides and skins

●      Bone, whalebone, horn, antler, hooves, claws and beaks

The inclusion of artworks created recently (any work aged 100 years or less, as above) in this list will have a substantial impact on independent artists’ ability to sell their current work to U.S. collectors. Further, Canadian commercial galleries that have a customer base in the U.S. will see their customers subject to a 50% tariff on the import of any Canadian artwork they may purchase, including some historic works (paintings, drawings and sculptures) aged over 100 years. 

The tariffs will apply to items “Produced in Canada,” so artists or art dealers shipping work across the U.S. border will need Certificates of Canadian Origin as part of the Customs clearance process; we currently anticipate that U.S. Customs will be looking for this documentation.

Please note: Producing these Certificates of Canadian Origin takes approximately one month to process and there are steps artists must follow to have these completed. Our Artist Services Coordinator can only be reached via email at artistservices@carfac.ca. Please refer to this page for full details.

Important: Tariffs may apply to listed items regardless of when they are shipped. The current understanding is that tariffs will be determined by the date of sale.

CARFAC National will update information as it becomes available as this situation evolves. We also encourage you to reach out to your elected representatives to voice any concerns you may have.

Commercial galleries, museums, and other arts institutions should direct inquiries regarding export and import matters to their customs brokers, their respective gallery or museum associations, and/or to Canadian Heritage.