Posted on: March 9, 2021 by Emily Gould
Another week, another acronym for the art world. In the past year or so, whilst many AMPs (art market professionals) have grappled with getting to KYC (know your customer) in compliance with new AML (anti money-laundering) rules, they have also been faced with moving from the bustling world of art fairs and high street galleries […]
Posted on: February 17, 2021 by Alexander Herman
Last week, we were happy to run a seminar called ‘Brexit, legal changes and the art world’ in conjunction with the London firm of Hunters Law LLP. The topic is obviously one of great interest these days as the UK grapples with a post-EU existence. There were a number of important changes that were brought […]
Posted on: February 12, 2021 by Stephanie Drawdy
The much-anticipated ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court in the Welfenschatz (or ‘Guelph Treasure’) restitution case (previously discussed here) was issued on 3 February 2021, rendering precedent on the interpretation of the ‘expropriation exception’ of the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA).[1] Enacted to lift the “baseline presumption of immunity” given to foreign states under the […]
Posted on: February 10, 2021 by Georgiana Stables
On Saturday 6th February, we hosted our second virtual study forum. It was a full day of captivating and perceptive talks by a range of speakers within the art law field. To kick-start the day, Dr Donna Yates (Associate Professor, Maastricht University) spoke about a Cambodian sculpture stolen from Koh Ker during the Cambodian Civil […]
Posted on: February 1, 2021 by Stephanie Drawdy
A new year has swept in, bringing with it an expansion of U.S. federal anti-corruption / anti-money laundering laws. On 1 January 2021, America’s annual defense budget known as H.R. 6395, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (NDAA), became law. The wide-reaching and significant reforms included in the NDAA range from corporate […]
Posted on: January 24, 2021 by Meir Heller and Keren Abelow
“Hearing this case will open Pandora’s box.” So stated Justice Anat Baron of the Israeli High Court of Justice, on November 18, 2020 delivering a ruling temporarily postponing the sale of 258 lots from Jerusalem’s L.A. Mayer Museum of Islamic Art at Sotheby’s London auction house. The case, which has drawn public ire and the […]
Posted on: January 22, 2021 by Ruth Redmond-Cooper
The December issue of Art Antiquity and Law has now gone to press and will be available in a few days. We hope the slight delay can be forgiven because this is our 100th issue of the journal, which is surely worthy of celebration (even during these rather un-celebratory times). If you subscribe to the […]
Posted on: January 20, 2021 by Emily Gould
It has been a worrying and torrid time for many businesses over the past twelve months, not least those in the arts sector. Cancelled exhibitions, revenue loss, closed doors, and staff cuts have become an all too familiar story for many museums and galleries, forced to suspend business-as -usual in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. […]
Posted on: January 18, 2021 by Rebecca Hawkes-Reynolds
Yesterday, Sunday, 17 January 2021, the Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick announced his plans to introduce new legal protections for historic statues and plaques which will be presented to Parliament imminently. The aim of these new measures is for any change to such monuments to go through a system of approval, whether through listed building consent […]
Posted on: January 7, 2021 by Stephanie Drawdy
In March 2020, the U.S. State Department issued the ‘Just Act Report’, a 196-page document with a laudable goal – furthering long-delayed justice for Holocaust victims, survivors and heirs. It is described as an “essential tool” to show the U.S. Congress where restitution efforts are lagging across the globe. The rather disheartening results show a […]