Latest IAL News

The MET in the spotlight again: Due diligence dissected

Posted on: March 20, 2019 by Emily Gould

We reported late last year how busy the New York authorities have been in recent times in seizing and returning looted artefacts. The pattern has continued into the new year, with the widely reported return to the Egyptian Government of a first-century BC gilded coffin, acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art as the centre […]

Talk by Alexander Herman on museums, ethics and deaccession

Posted on: March 13, 2019 by Kiri Cragin Folwell

Last week, our Assistant Director Alexander Herman gave a talk at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada, on the topic of museums, law, ethics, deaccession and restitution. The talk was entitled “Values & Art: Ethics in the Management of Culture” and was part of Ryerson’s Business Ethics speaker series at the Ted Rogers School of Management. […]

Our submission to the DCMS consultation on UK export controls

Posted on: March 8, 2019 by Alexander Herman

The IAL recently submitted a response to a consultation on export controls released by the UK’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS). The consultation related to a recent proposal to introduce a legally binding offer into the mechanism by which would-be exporters are required to accept fair matching offers from UK institutions (or […]

Monetising the past – some thoughts on the sale of archaeological artefacts

Posted on: March 4, 2019 by Rebecca Hawkes-Reynolds

Laws and guidance notes are rarely retrospective as this would go against fairness and justice. As regards laws such as the Treasure Act 1996 and guidance notes dealing with human remains and archaeological excavation, however, many archaeologists, Anglo-Saxon specialists and museum curators probably wish that they could be. Hansons Auctioneers recently announced it would be […]

Is it ‘buyer beware’ or must dealers play fair?

Posted on: March 1, 2019 by Julia Rodrigues Casella Hommes

As the art world gears up for another round of TEFAF to take place next month in Maastricht, we are faced with the unfortunate outcome involving the sale of two Old Master paintings during last year’s fair. The paintings, sold by the renowned London-based gallery Richard Green, were a river landscape by Jan Brueghel the […]

Study Forum in London and Upcoming Talks

Posted on: February 26, 2019 by Kiri Cragin Folwell

Thanks to everyone who joined us at our sold out study forum on Saturday. Held at Notre Dame University in London, we were fortunate to hear a variety of presentations from specialists in art and cultural heritage law. The first talk of the day was on auction houses and third party guarantees. Christine Burron, the […]

Judge allows Tate Modern to keep its view

Posted on: February 15, 2019 by Rebecca Hawkes-Reynolds

The four residents of Neo Bankside who sought to make Tate Modern close off part of the 360° viewing platform on the 10th story of the Blavatnik Building, Tate Modern’s £260 million extension opened in 2016, have been denied their wish. Justice Mann handed down his judgment on 12 February dismissing their claim of nuisance and […]

Consultation opens to amend Treasure Act 1996

Posted on: February 13, 2019 by Rebecca Hawkes-Reynolds

1 February saw the announcement by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) that a consultation has opened on a series of proposed amendments to the Treasure Act 1996 and its associated Code of Practice. The consultation period will last until 30 April 2019 and will be seeking views on a series of […]

Tightening the screws against money laundering – will the art world be hung out to dry?

Posted on: February 4, 2019 by Emily Gould

It is rare that the somewhat dry and complex topic of anti-money laundering regulation hits the headlines in the art world. Introduce an A-list celebrity and a couple of paintings by names such as Basquiat and Picasso, however, and the stakes are raised. In June 2017 the online forum artnet news reported on an investigation […]

Heritage Crime Day with Historic England

Posted on: February 2, 2019 by Rebecca Hawkes-Reynolds

On 24 January 2019 IAL Senior Researcher Emily Gould and I attended a workshop on heritage crime organised by Historic England. The aim of the workshop was to present to the attendees the various types of heritage crime that can be committed, how the perpetrators can be convicted and appropriate sentences to be handed down […]