Freedom of artistic expression (FoAE) is a fundamental pillar of any democratic system and a key value of the European project. Rarely researched as an autonomous legal concept, FoAE has been often conflated with other rights or freedoms or treated as a part of a broader analysis of the general freedom of expression. This has resulted in a rather fragmented and superficial picture of what freedom of artistic expression is in a global context and, especially, at European level.