The Institute of Art & Law

We are pleased to announce that our Diploma in Art Profession Law and Ethics (DipAPLE) is running once again between January and July 2025. This intensive and interactive course – run online – is designed to introduce both art professionals and lawyers to the specific legal risks and safeguards that underpin art transactions. It covers […]

We are happy to announce that the next instalment of our popular Diploma in Law and Collections Management (DipLCM) course will take place in Edinburgh from 31st March to 4th April 2025, kindly hosted by National Galleries Scotland. The course is open to all those who work in collections management (or related fields) at museums, […]

This unique Masters in Law Programme (LLM) is offered in partnership between the Institute of Art and Law and the Centre for Commercial Law Studies (CCLS) at Queen Mary University of London. The programme covers every major legal area affecting the art market and arts management and is ideal for practitioners in this field. The […]

The ‘Bernini Judgment’, issued by Barcelona’s First Instance Court No. 42 on 20 May 2024, sets a significant precedent in the protection of Spain’s national heritage. It enables the recovery of a key piece from the Royal Collections through an action for recovery of ownership, supported by comprehensive technical reports. In this case, Patrimonio Nacional, […]

On 30 September, 2024, the US District Court for the District of Columbia issued the latest decision in the long running de Csepel restitution saga. After almost 15 years of litigation (or 25, if one considers the initial lawsuit filed in Hungary), the case has now been narrowed down to the recovery of one of […]

This year I’ve written about the Colombian government’s planned recovery of artefacts from the wreck of the San José, hailed as “the most valuable shipwreck in the world”. As an international investor-state arbitration proceeds in the Hague, the wreck continues to make headlines. Reports earlier in the summer indicated that the first robotic exploration of […]

We also offer both digital-only and digital + hardcopy subscription options in partnership with Hein. Art Antiquity and Law is a Quarterly designed for all who value the cultural and historical environment. The principal aim of the Quarterly is to inform. It exists to tell those who work in the art and antiquity world about the law governing their […]

In this new book, Institute of Art and Law Director Alexander Herman provides a balanced, thorough and critical account of the history of the Parthenon Marbles, those famous pieces of ancient sculpture removed from the Acropolis in Athens by Lord Elgin’s men in the early 19th century. He also addresses the legalities of their removal and the ethics of their retention by the British Museum.

We also offer both digital-only and digital + hardcopy subscription options in partnership with Hein. Art Antiquity and Law is a Quarterly designed for all who value the cultural and historical environment. The principal aim of the Quarterly is to inform. It exists to tell those who work in the art and antiquity world about the law governing their […]