Latest IAL News

U.S. Supreme Court declines to review 5Pointz ruling

Posted on: November 13, 2020 by Stephanie Drawdy

The 5Pointz case has now been confirmed as viable authority in favor of artists’ rights in the United States. In early October, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the petition for certiorari filed by developers Gerald Wolkoff and several of his real estate entities, thereby eliminating the last appellate hope the developers had to […]

A tale of two protests: Museum protest then and now

Posted on: November 9, 2020 by Alexander Herman

Emery Mwazulu Diyabanza (left) is a man on a mission. A prolific protestor at museums in France and the Netherlands, he targets objects on display that originate from Africa, lifts them from their stands and parades them around the galleries while making pronouncements on the crimes of European colonialism. ‘Je part avec à la maison,’ he […]

High Court orders London gallery to provide information about stolen Signac

Posted on: November 3, 2020 by Michael Bowmer

A Norwich Pharmacal order was recently made against a London gallery requiring it to disclose information concerning a painting which the claimant contended had been stolen from her. In doing so the court refused to accept the argument on behalf of the gallery that no order should be made on account of the custom and […]

Cassirer heirs may challenge ruling favoring Spanish foundation over Nazi-plundered Pissarro

Posted on: October 26, 2020 by Stephanie Drawdy

The Cassirer heirs recently received another negative ruling in their lawsuit to recover a Nazi-looted painting by French Impressionist Camille Pissarro, but this case has not yet ended. The heirs indicated their intent to request a rehearing of the Ninth Circuit’s holding that, under Spanish law, title to the Pissarro is rightly held by the […]

Adapting to the new normal – challenges for the art market

Posted on: October 19, 2020 by Emily Gould

The opening of a ‘virtual’ Frieze week in London earlier this month was a reminder of both the significant challenges Covid-19 has posed to the art market, and the innovative and creative responses which have emerged. In contrast to the usual spectacle of bustling crowds cramming into marquees in London’s Regent’s Park, Frieze London 2020 […]

IAL’s first online diploma course completed

Posted on: October 13, 2020 by Emily Gould

We were delighted to welcome an enthusiastic group of students to our online Diploma in Law and Collections Management last week. The silver lining of us not being able to get together in the same room this year was that students from as far and wide as Singapore, Australia and the UAE could more easily […]

IS A STORM BREWING IN THE BANKSY TRADE MARK TEACUP?

Posted on: October 7, 2020 by Adam Jomeen

Banksy hit the headlines last month when an EU trade mark featuring his iconic Flower Thrower graffiti was struck down by the EU’s Intellectual Property Office, reigniting claims that the Bristolian street artist is abusing trademark law to secure rights against third parties who commercialise his work without consent.  Whilst Banksy could in principle take […]

Done right, selling museum pieces can work – but probably not with Michelangelos

Posted on: October 1, 2020 by Alexander Herman

This comment first appeared on The Art Newspaper website on 25 September 2020. It has been reproduced with the editorial staff’s kind permission. Is the Royal Academy of Arts (RA) going to sell its Michelangelo? It seems a preposterous proposition, but these are rather preposterous times. The idea, apparently floated by a handful of Royal […]

UK Ivory Ban: End to the lawsuit but Ivory Act is not enforceable just yet

Posted on: September 25, 2020 by Georgiana Stables

The IAL blog has avidly followed the debate surrounding the UK’s position on the trade of ivory artefacts over the last two years, see June 2020 Update, November 2019 Update, July 2019 Update, May 2018 Update, April 2018 Update, January 2018 Update. The latest development has seen the Supreme Court denying the request to appeal made […]

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 […]