Category Archives: Uncategorized

2023 Year in Review

Posted on: December 21, 2023 by Alexander Herman

What can be said about art law in 2023? Of course, developments in our sector are often linked to trends in the wider world. This year saw the sad continuation of the war in Ukraine and an unprecedented conflict between Israel and Hamas that erupted after the terrorist attacks of 7 October. Azerbaijan has fully […]

Interview with Fladgate’s Hetty Gleave on art and luxury assets during times of upheaval

Posted on: June 1, 2023 by Kiri Cragin Folwell

We recently spoke with Hetty Gleave, a partner at Fladgate LLP in London, about her practice and her experience dealing with art and luxury assets for her clients. Challenges arise for such assets in times of great personal upheaval, such as during situations involving debt, divorce and death. These issues will be explored further during […]

In an increasingly tech-focussed art world, what does the Online Safety Bill mean for freedom of artistic expression?

Posted on: March 11, 2023 by Hugh Johnson-Gilbert

As the controversial Online Safety Bill (“OSB”) makes its way through the House of Lords, we consider what implications it might pose for the online art world. Introduced in March 2022, the stated purpose of the OSB is to ‘make the UK the safest place in the world to be online while defending free expression’. […]

The year ahead

Posted on: January 9, 2023 by Alexander Herman

It is dangerous to make predictions. Too precise and they can be proved wrong. Too vague and they tend not to offer much of use. So it is a difficult line to tread… What do we have to expect from 2023 in the world of art law? If we consider the big developments from last […]

2022: Year in Review

Posted on: December 19, 2022 by Alexander Herman

2022 was a year of great change, both in the world at large and for art law in particular. We saw the end of most of the worst effects of the covid pandemic, accompanied by what appears to be a final farewell to the era of lockdowns. We saw war in Europe for the first […]

Shedding light on an opaque market: The latest anti-money laundering guidance for the UK art market

Posted on: December 8, 2022 by Julia Rodrigues Casella Hommes

The latest guidance on the anti-money laundering (AML) regulations as they pertain to the UK art market has finally brought about some much-needed clarification on some aspects of the regulations that had remained up until now somewhat difficult to comprehend and, more importantly, apply to day to day business. There are many aspects of the […]

What next for London’s embattled Holocaust memorial?

Posted on: November 12, 2022 by Hugh Johnson-Gilbert

In January 2016, the then Prime Minister, David Cameron, announced that a national memorial to the Holocaust would be built in Victoria Tower Gardens (“the Gardens”), next to the Palace of Westminster. Mr Cameron committed to building “a striking national memorial… to show the importance Britain places on preserving the memory of the Holocaust”. The winning […]

A North Carolina Filmmaker Continues to Challenge State Sovereign Immunity

Posted on: October 28, 2022 by Gina McKIveen

For nearly two decades, Rick Allen, an experienced underwater videographer and professional photographer, documented the retrieval and recovery process of an 18th century pirate shipwreck off the coast of North Carolina. A dispute over the copyright in the works produced between Allen and the State of North Carolina (the “State”) is now approaching its tenth […]

The Treasures of Crimea: new documentary launching this Friday

Posted on: October 12, 2022 by Julia Rodrigues Casella Hommes

There is a fine balance between unbiased, objective reporting and the dissection of the emotional layers in a subject that is the mark of a great documentary. A new documentary on the epic tale of the Crimean Treasures in a Dutch museum and the ensuing legal disputes managed to strike this fine balance with perfect […]

Belgian restitution: from Nazi-looted art to colonial-era takings

Posted on: April 14, 2022 by Hélène Deslauriers

Let us consider recent developments in Belgium, both in relation to Nazi-looted art and colonial-era collections. First, a recent return of Nazi-looted art. On February 10 the Royal Museums of Fine Arts in Brussels returned a 1913 painting by Lovis Corinth, Flowers (left), to members of the Mayer family.  The painting represents a bouquet of […]