Tag Archives: authenticity

Art Authentication: Interview with Denis Moiseev of Hephaestus Analytical

Posted on: January 29, 2024 by agata.becker

Art transactions continue to be plagued by forgeries, and trust alone among the various players is not sufficient to prevent damage to the market. Art authentication has always been a critical aspect of the art world, but it can often be unclear and confusing, as determining provenance and legitimacy are constant concerns. Recently, we at […]

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 […]

Publishing News – new journal issue and the Art Law Library

Posted on: July 7, 2023 by Ruth Redmond-Cooper

The July 2023 issue of Art Antiquity and Law has now been published and hard copies will be winging their way to subscribers this week. Online subscribers will be able to access it in the usual way. This issue contains a thought-provoking article by law professors Peter Cumper and Tom Lewis on the vexed issue […]

Important High Court decision on authenticity and dealers’ responsibilities

Posted on: January 23, 2023 by Emily Gould

In an important decision handed down at the end of last year [1] the High Court upheld most of the claims brought by an eminent purchaser against a well-known antiquities dealer in relation to the (in)authenticity of the artefacts in question. It is rare that authenticity claims reach the courts, and when they have done […]

New issue of Art Antiquity and Law out soon

Posted on: August 4, 2022 by Ruth Redmond-Cooper

The second issue of 2022 from Art Antiquity and Law has now gone to press and hard copy will be sent out to subscribers next week. This issue covers a range of topics: Emily Gould, Assistant Director of the Institute of Art and Law, provides a detailed examination of the law relating to NFTs. These […]

Lights out for Fairlight – Court of Appeal upholds High Court decision in dispute over alleged Frans Hals painting

Posted on: December 14, 2020 by Emily Gould

An intriguing and long-running saga involving an alleged Old Master painting, a London art dealer, a US investor and an international auction house appears to have reached its conclusion. For those following the case of Sotheby’s v Weiss Limited and Fairlight Art Ventures LLP, with all its twists and turns, the latest (and possibly the […]

By description? Canadian judgment complicates art contracts

Posted on: December 2, 2019 by Charlotte Dunn

Legal cases involving questions of authenticity, attribution and provenance are generally not easily determined. However, in a recent Canadian case, the Court of Appeal for Ontario applied contract law to tackle (or avoid) the issue. The case involved a painting, entitled Spirit Energy of Mother Earth, purportedly by the renowned First Nations artist, Norval Morrisseau. […]

New issue of IAL’s Art Antiquity and Law journal just released

Posted on: October 24, 2019 by Julia Rodrigues Casella Hommes

Marking the beginning of a new academic year, the latest issue of Art Antiquity & Law, IAL’s quarterly journal, is hot off the press and brings a number of articles ranging from topics such as musical instruments and their legal framework to arbitration, art theft, export of cultural goods and the repatriation claims for the […]

Stranger than fiction…Authenticity and Intrigue

Posted on: September 4, 2016 by Emily Gould

Two fascinating stories from the art world have captured our imagination over the past couple of weeks. Whilst seemingly unrelated, both have the thorny issue of authorship and authenticity at their heart and, coincidentally, share a Scottish connection. The first is the news that Scottish artist, Peter Doig, has won his court battle against a […]

The Spies-Ernst case: Art experts in France can breathe a sigh of relief

Posted on: January 27, 2016 by Judith Bouchardeau and Mathilde Roellinger

The discovery of the art forgery scandal perpetrated by Wolfang Beltracchi has given rise to a number of legal proceedings. The recent decision of the Court of Appeal of Versailles, involving art expert Werner Spies and a painting attributed to Max Ernst, is among them. The facts are as follows. At the 2004 Paris Biennale […]