Tag Archives: england

Arts Council England releases new guidance for museums on restitution and repatriation

Posted on: August 5, 2022 by Alexander Herman and Emily Gould

Today, Arts Council England released its guidance on restitution and repatriation for English museums. Restitution and Repatriation: A Practical Guide for Museums in England offers guidelines, best practice and case studies for the museum sector, helping institutions act appropriately and considerately in the context of claims for the return of collection objects. It replaces previous […]

Whistler’s portrait and copyright in artistic works

Posted on: July 15, 2021 by Elena Cooper

This month sees the opening of a major new exhibition of the work of the artist James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) at the Hunterian Art Gallery, Glasgow, which holds one of the largest Whistler collections in the world: Whistler: Art and Legacy (9 July-31 October 2021). In this blog, I reflect on how one painting by […]

Arts Council England appoints IAL to develop new guidance on restitution and repatriation

Posted on: March 19, 2020 by Kiri Cragin Folwell

On Monday 16 March, Arts Council England announced the appointment of the Institute of Art and Law (IAL) to develop new guidance for museums on the restitution and repatriation of cultural objects. The guidance, which will be published in Autumn 2020, will aim to encourage a more proactive and coordinated approach across UK museums by […]

Court of Appeal confirms $10m commission on Gauguin sale

Posted on: May 17, 2019 by Michael Bowmer

On 14 May 2019 the Court of Appeal of England and Wales (Lewison LJ, Lindblom LJ, Rose LJ) unanimously dismissed the appeal by Ruedi Staechelin and his fellow trustees against the decision of Morgan J dated 16 January 2018. By his judgment Morgan J had held that a commission of US$10 million was payable to […]

A spate of coins – the recent discovery of the Hambleden Hoard

Posted on: May 3, 2019 by Rebecca Hawkes-Reynolds

It is fitting that, following Geoffrey Bennett’s last post on the Treasure Act consultations in the UK, this piece would also touch on a topic close to our hearts: the law of treasure. For four men in England last month the dream of finding treasure became a reality. While partaking in a four day long […]

Cadbury’s Freddo Treasures campaign backfires

Posted on: March 27, 2019 by Rebecca Hawkes-Reynolds

Searching for treasure and discovering new archaeological sites like Indiana Jones is every child’s dream. And this is exactly what Cadbury’s latest Freddo campaign sought to do. The relevant webpage listed a series of known archaeological sites in England, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland where “treasure is fair game”, and encouraged children to […]

A Listed Building – or is it? The recent Court of Appeal judgement in Dill

Posted on: January 16, 2019 by Rebecca Hawkes-Reynolds

While owning and living in a listed building may be a quaint dream for some of us, they do come with a fair amount of constraints, restrictions and headaches when it comes to undertaking repairs, renovations or even selling items held within them. Many an owner of a large stately home has found himself on […]

HS2 and archaeology: an unexpected opportunity

Posted on: November 23, 2018 by Rebecca Hawkes-Reynolds

Large infrastructure projects are always very divisive, and this is certainly true when it comes to the HS2, the high-speed rail link that’s being built between London and Birmingham. Many have objected to its cost, questioned the extent it will benefit the communities and economies of the areas it connects and its environmental impact. Much […]

Brexit and the changes to ‘art law’

Posted on: June 29, 2016 by Alexander Herman

Of course we need to mention the very real possibility of Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union following last Thursday’s referendum vote. We held a class on Saturday as part of our Diploma in Art Profession Law and Ethics (with some sad faces in the room, it should be said) and listed off a number of instruments and regulations in […]

New Sentencing Guidelines show their teeth

Posted on: April 20, 2016 by Emily Gould

It was heartening to read the report by Cahal Milmo in the i newspaper last week about the first application of the new Sentencing Guidelines for theft offences. The guidelines urge courts to take into account the special nature of heritage assets when sentencing offenders for theft crimes, giving official recognition to the devastating harm […]