Category Archives: United Kingdom

News from our latest Study Forum

Posted on: September 15, 2020 by Georgiana Stables

On Saturday 12th September, we hosted our first ever virtual study forum. Whilst this time around the coffee break took place on Zoom breakout rooms, with each one’s coffee and tea of choice, the day’s schedule was still jam-packed with fascinating talks on a range of areas within the art and cultural heritage field. To […]

Starting the new academic year: upcoming Study Forum and Diploma course

Posted on: September 10, 2020 by Julia Rodrigues Casella Hommes

We are all excited at IAL to start a new academic year and cannot think of a better way to brush off the cobwebs from lockdown and the summer break than by joining our upcoming (virtual) Study Forum, to be held this Saturday the 12th of September, as well as our Diploma in Law and […]

Latest issue of Art Antiquity & Law available now

Posted on: September 8, 2020 by Julia Rodrigues Casella Hommes

We are pleased to announce that the latest issue (Vol XXV, 2) of our journal Art Antiquity & Law is available now, please see below for details on subscriptions and access.  Paul Kearns provides the readers with a comprehensive panorama of the international legal regulations on freedom of artistic expression, a fundamental but much overlooked and […]

Art and Dishonesty: The New Test

Posted on: August 12, 2020 by Geoffrey Bennett

When the worlds of Art and Crime collide consideration of the issue of ‘dishonesty’ is not likely to be far behind. Not only is it a crucial ingredient in theft it also permeates other offences such as fraud under the Fraud Act 2006, or Conspiracy to Defraud at common law, and the specific offence of […]

Man jailed following attempted theft of Magna Carta

Posted on: July 28, 2020 by Paul Stevenson

Readers of this blog may recall the 2018 attempted theft by Mark Royden of Salisbury Cathedral’s copy of Magna Carta. Reports confirm that Royden attacked the document’s protective case before being pursued by members of the public, including American tourists, cathedral staff, and stonemasons, who detained him in a works yard outside. In a welcome […]

Funding of the arts – meeting the sector’s needs in changing times

Posted on: July 6, 2020 by Charlotte Dunn

The UK culture sector woke up to some good news today, with a Government announcement of a ‘world-leading’ £1.57 billion rescue package, set to benefit thousands of organisations suffering the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The funding of arts organisations has never been more relevant. With world-famous cultural institutions, such as Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, warning […]

Is Art Censorship on Social Media Leading Us To Tyranny?

Posted on: June 25, 2020 by Amy Werbel

In 2019, the Home Office Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport published a White Paper with a plan to oblige social media companies to expand their censorship efforts through the imposition of a new statutory duty of care. Noting that “99% of 12 to 15 year olds are online,” the White Paper suggested that […]

Fifty years on: the meaning of the 1970 UNESCO Convention

Posted on: June 18, 2020 by Alexander Herman

Amidst the sad turmoil (for some) and the uncertainty (for all) brought on by the pandemic and the resultant lockdown, it is perhaps more forgivable than usual to miss an important anniversary. I am referring here to the fact that 2020 marks 50 years since the adoption of the Convention on the Means of Prohibiting […]

A final judgment? Court of Appeal rules in favour of the Ivory Act 2018

Posted on: June 5, 2020 by Charlotte Dunn

We have been following the debate over the UK’s position on ivory on the IAL blog over the past few years. The latest development has seen the Court of Appeal uphold the decision of the High Court, finding the Ivory Act 2018 to be lawful. What does this mean for the future of the ivory […]

What is a listed building? The Supreme Court provides clarity

Posted on: June 4, 2020 by Rebecca Hawkes-Reynolds

The IAL has been closely following the case of Mr Dill and the two lead urns in its passage through the courts over the past two years. Mr Dill sold the urns in 2009 without knowing that they were individually listed and therefore their removal required listed building consent. Having lost at the High Court […]