Posted on: October 21, 2014 by Alexander Herman
A recent dispute has arisen over the sale of artworks, pitting the relatives of two Jewish victims of the Nazis against a Swiss foundation that has been laying claim to assets once owned by the couple. The convoluted saga has been recounted by the New York Times. It involves the extensive art collection of Berlin metals broker Norbert Levy, a collection which […]
Posted on: September 26, 2014 by Richard Harwood QC
In a strongly worded judgment, the Chancellor of the Diocese of Gloucester, June Rodgers, has warned priests and the art market against sales of property in churches without a faculty. A faculty, granted by the Chancellor of the Diocese, is required for works to parish churches, churchyards and ‘articles appertaining thereto’: see the Care of […]
Posted on: September 25, 2014 by Alexander Herman
It has recently been reported that nearly £125 million worth of art has been handed over to the UK government in lieu of tax liabilities between the years 2009 and 2013. This is the result of the government’s ‘acceptance in lieu’ scheme (AIL), whereby works of art can be transferred to the state in order to offset inheritance taxes, as […]
Posted on: August 5, 2014 by Alexander Herman
Much has been said and written about the present day treatment of Nazi-looted art. But there is another, less well-known chapter to Germany’s past. This involves the confiscation of works of art from East German citizens by the former German Democratic Republic (GDR). Often the confiscations occurred because the owners of the works were considered members […]
Posted on: May 23, 2014 by Alexander Herman
On 29th May 2014 (this Thursday), there will be an Institute of Art & Law event hosted by Clyde & Co at their offices in central London on the theme of art and insurance. The event will run from 11.00 to 5.00. Topics will include: insurance policies, the duties to insure art, indemnity, the UK’s […]
Posted on: April 7, 2014 by Alexander Herman
In recent news regarding the Munich art trove, the Bavarian authorities and the German culture minister have released a statement demonstrating that Cornelius Gurlitt is committed to voluntarily returning any looted art that had been found in his apartment in 2012 to the heirs of the despoiled owners. This forms part of the gradual acceptance […]
Posted on: March 12, 2014 by Alexander Herman
The first claim has been filed in relation to the artworks seized from the Munich apartment of Cornelius Gurlitt. The plaintiff is David Toren, a descendent of David Friedmann, the wealthy art collector from Breslau (now Wroclaw), who was persecuted as a Jew in Nazi Germany and died in 1942. The claim, dated 5th March 2014, […]
Posted on: February 6, 2014 by Ruth Redmond-Cooper
The Victoria and Albert Museum has published online two volumes which record what the Nazi regime did with confiscated ‘degenerate art’. Hitler believed post-impressionist modern art, including Expressionists such as Kandinsky and Otto Dix, to be “evidence of a deranged mind”. He ordered more than 16,000 artworks, including works by Van Gogh and Man Ray, […]