Posted on: April 7, 2016 by Emily Gould
Significant developments on three of the stories we’ve been watching closely of late appeared in the news this week: Firstly, that the deferral on an export licence for the Sekhemka Statue has now been lifted, so it will almost certainly be leaving these shores before too long. Secondly, that pieces from the Gurlitt art hoard […]
Posted on: March 8, 2016 by Emily Gould
There is rarely a dull moment in the long-running saga of the Sekhemka statue, the rare Egyptian Old Kingdom sculpture controversially sold by Northampton Borough Council for £15.76 million in 2014. The piece had been displayed at the Northampton Museum and was sold by the Council to raise funds, incurring the wrath of the […]
Posted on: December 14, 2015 by Ruth Redmond-Cooper
Citing the facts surrounding the recent Rembrandt export licence application withdrawal, there has been a call by the head of the Art Fund to change the rules regarding cultural export controls in the United Kingdom. Art Fund Director Stephen Deuchar refers to the process for obtaining an export licence as being run by way of “gentleman’s agreements”, […]
Posted on: December 10, 2015 by Alexander Herman
A recent report involving a Dalí painting, Figura en una taula (pictured below), has once again brought the issue of cultural export controls into focus. The Dalí painting, owned by an Italian national named Elena Quarestani, has been blocked by the Italian authorities from leaving the country. This is because it has been subject to a ‘declaration of […]
Posted on: October 28, 2015 by Alexander Herman
It has been reported by the BBC that the export application submitted by the new owner of a £35 million Rembrandt (covered here) has now been withdrawn. The work will therefore remain in the UK and will potentially be loaned by the owner to a museum or gallery in this country. One wonders if the next step […]
Posted on: October 27, 2015 by Alexander Herman
This is a short update on our piece from this summer about the export ban placed on the £15 million Sekhemka statue. While it may have seemed doubtful that a UK entity would be willing (or, more importantly, able) to buy the statue and keep it in the country, there does now appear to be interest in doing so. […]
Posted on: October 19, 2015 by Alexander Herman
Rembrandt’s late career Portrait of Catrina Hooghsaet is the subject of the UK Culture Minister’s latest export licence deferral. The painting, which had been in the collection of the Welsh aristocratic Douglas-Pennant family, was reported to have been sold earlier this year for £35 million. An export licence has been sought, but the Minister, based upon […]
Posted on: October 15, 2015 by Alexander Herman
As hinted at, there is another painting currently hanging at the Goya exhibition at the National Gallery with a story to tell. Unlike the Marquesa de Santa Cruz, this one relates to an episode involving theft, a botched ransom scheme and the adoption of new criminal legislation. It is a portrait painted by Francisco Goya over a two-year […]
Posted on: August 2, 2015 by Ruth Redmond-Cooper
Just two weeks ago Austria ratified the UNESCO 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. This brings the tally of States Parties to the Convention to an impressive total of 129 (out of 193 countries in the world). The non-ratifying States include mainly those of South-East […]
Posted on: May 26, 2015 by Nina M. Neuhaus
On 13 May, the Institute of Art and Law with the generous support of Maurice Turnor Gardner LLP hosted a seminar exploring a variety of legal issues surrounding international art transactions. Here is a brief summary: The first speaker was Professor Norman Palmer (3 Stone Buildings), who discussed the various risks associated with the international transfer of cultural […]