Latest IAL News

What Price the “Holy Grail” of Shipwrecks?

Posted on: January 8, 2024 by Paul Stevenson

Readers will doubtless recall fictional archaeologist explorer Indiana Jones’ quest to find the holy grail, a cup providing eternal youth or sustenance in infinite abundance and, by analogy, an elusive object or goal of great significance. Readers may also recall that some time ago on this blog (2018 indeed) I noted that UNESCO had weighed […]

Art Antiquity and Law – December Issue

Posted on: January 4, 2024 by Ruth Redmond-Cooper

Hard copies of the final issue of 2023 Art Antiquity and Law should be arriving with subscribers very soon – online subscribers should be able to access it shortly. In this issue we have an analysis of ‘Resale Restrictions in the Contemporary Art Market’: Aaron Taylor (Barrister, Fountain Court Chambers; Visiting Research Fellow, Goldsmiths, University […]

2023 Year in Review

Posted on: December 21, 2023 by Alexander Herman

What can be said about art law in 2023? Of course, developments in our sector are often linked to trends in the wider world. This year saw the sad continuation of the war in Ukraine and an unprecedented conflict between Israel and Hamas that erupted after the terrorist attacks of 7 October. Azerbaijan has fully […]

The Cost of Our Appetite for Gold

Posted on: December 11, 2023 by Emefa Cole

The Allure of Gold Gold is undoubtably the most seductive of the noble metals. It is revered, considered sacred and mystical in many cultures. It is associated with the supernatural, royalty, wealth and prestige – we hear of alchemists of yesteryear turning lead into gold and stories of mythical creatures who inhabit mines around the […]

The Smart Fund: How Digital Devices Can Pay Back Artists While Supporting the UK’s Creative Industry

Posted on: November 27, 2023 by Laura Villarraga Albino

A few weeks ago, the UK’s cultural industry organisations presented evidence to Parliament regarding the challenges faced by creators and performers in receiving fair compensation and, most importantly, the relevance of the Smart Fund. The initiative seeks to ensure fair remuneration to creators for the access, distribution and storage of their work on digital devices. […]

Seminar Report on Art Law Unveiled: Navigating Modern and Contemporary Art Transactions, 9 November

Posted on: November 20, 2023 by Laura Villarraga Albino

Two weeks ago, the Institute of Art and Law and Wedlake Bell jointly hosted the seminar “Art Law Unveiled: Navigating Modern and Contemporary Art Transactions”. Legal issues surrounding this area were addressed, providing a high-level forum for discussing practical issues, such as art contracts, artists’ representation, the authentication of artworks and the role of collective […]

Munich Regional Court Makes Decision on Joint Authorship of “Paris Bar” Works

Posted on: November 13, 2023 by Adrienne Bauer

The Paris Bar in Berlin’s Kantstraße is a traditional meeting place for the arts and culture scene of the German capital and a true institution. Three paintings depicting this very bar have now become the subject of an interesting copyright decision by the Munich Regional Court. Specifically, it concerns the works “Paris Bar (Version 1-3)” […]

Anindilyakwa People Celebrate On-Country Return of Heritage Repatriated by Manchester Museum

Posted on: November 6, 2023 by Elizabeth Pearson

The Anindilyakwa People will hold an on-country return celebration on Groote Eylandt on 21 November 2023 for 174 cultural heritage items repatriated from Manchester Museum. The repatriated cultural heritage items include 70 culturally significant dadikwakwa-kwa (toy dolls used by Anindilyakwa girls, decorated with ochre designs and cloth), seven errumungkwa (arm bands), a turtle shell map, […]

Exploring Artist’s Resale Right in Latin America’s Growing Art Market

Posted on: October 30, 2023 by Laura Villarraga Albino

The recent report from DACS reveals that since 2006, almost £120 million in Artist’s Resale Right (ARR) royalties have been distributed to over 6,023 artists and heirs in the UK. ARR plays a significant role in the UK’s art ecosystem, contributing directly to artists’ practice and their legacies with minimal impact on art market participants. […]

Book Launch for New Publication on Parthenon Marbles Dispute by IAL Director

Posted on: October 18, 2023 by Ephraim Tan

The dispute over the Parthenon (or Elgin) Marbles is known to many. Yet, the issues in dispute have often been clouded by rhetoric and the parties’ entrenched positions. What are the legalities which surround the Marbles’ removal from Athens in the first years of the 19th century? What is the ethical situation of their continued […]