NewsRestitution
Police search for Benin Bronze protestor—found guilty of 'threatening behaviour'
Isaiah Ogundele, who demonstrated outside the Museum of London, Docklands for the objects' repatriation, failed to appear at his court hearing earlier this month
NewsLawsuits
Insurers fight $107m claim for Modigliani paintings seized by Italian police
A US dealer says he is owed millions by insurance brokers for 12 works that were confiscated by authorities from the Palazzo Ducale in 2017 as suspected fakes
NewsLaw
Robert Indiana’s Star of Hope reaches deal with Morgan Art Foundation to end ongoing legal battles
The two organisations will work together to settle the artist’s estate and get his charitable foundation up and running in Maine
NewsBrazil
Court-ordered auction of works from disgraced Brazilian banker's collection prompts new controversy
The Museum of Contemporary Art at the University of São Paulo claims it is owed $3.6m for conserving and storing around 1,600 works repossessed from bankrupt Banco Santos president Edemar Cid Ferreira
NewsMuseums
Paris court case shines a light on growing cosiness between curators, state museums and galleries
Marlborough gallery and a retired Guimet Museum curator are accused of bribery in their promotion of the artist Chu Teh-Chun—but say they broke no rules
NewsBanksy
Banksy loses trademark battle over his famous Flower Thrower image
The street artist opened a pop-up shop in Croydon last year in a bid to protect his image rights, but was found to have “acted in bad faith”
NewsArt market
UK High Court ruling could be 'welcome news' for arts organisations denied Covid-19 insurance payout
Judgment this week ruled in favour of the Financial Conduct Authority's test case seeking clarification of policies as many insurers refuse to pay out during the pandemic
NewsLaw
Bathurst family sues art lender over Gainsborough painting offered as collateral by disgraced dealer
The noble family, whose ancestors are depicted in the work, says Art Finance Partners should have known Timothy Sammons did not legally own the painting
NewsLaw
US appeals court rules—with regret—that Thyssen-Bornemisza Foundation can keep Nazi-looted Pissarro
Judges noted the Spanish government, which signed the Washington Principles in 1998, “can preen as moralistic in its declarations”, yet not be bound by them
NewsArt market
Senate investigation finds art market secrecy allowed Russian billionaire brothers, friends of Putin, to evade government sanctions
A detailed report calls the trade “the largest, legal unregulated industry in the United States” and recommends increased transparency and government oversight
NewsLaw
California may grant repatriation rights to unrecognised Native American tribes
A new state bill expands federal rights for Indigenous groups to reclaim human remains, burial objects and other sacred artefacts from institutions
NewsArt crime
California man sentenced to five years in prison for $6m international art fraud scheme
Philip Righter pleaded guilty to selling works fraudulently attributed to Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, among others
NewsLaw
International Criminal Court trial begins of Jihadist police chief accused of destroying Timbuktu’s cultural heritage
Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud is on trial for war crimes in Mali
NewsLaw
New York grand jury indicts Inigo Philbrick on federal fraud charges
The dealer was arrested by the FBI on the Pacific island Vanuatu last month and transferred into federal custody
NewsTutankhamun
BBC investigation uncovers legal dispute over blockbuster Tutankhamun exhibition
Lawyer says Egypt breached heritage protection laws by contracting a private company to tour the artefacts
NewsArt market
Monaco court dismisses criminal case against Yves Bouvier
The Swiss art dealer had been accused of fraud and money laundering by the Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev—a related case in Geneva remains active
NewsLaw
Heirs battle estate over $30m Monet painting from Emden collection sold during Nazi era
Le Palais Ducal is at the centre of an ownership dispute that has kept the work from coming to auction
NewsRestitution
US Supreme Court agrees to hear Berlin museums' appeal in lawsuit over restitution of medieval treasures to Jewish heirs
Panel will consider museums' argument that a trial over rightful ownership of the Guelph Treasure cannot be heard in American courts
NewsLaw
Colour balance: painter Pat Lipsky sues over digitally ‘distorted’ images of her work
The artist says photographs of her canvas Bright Music II, offered for sale online, have been altered beyond recognition as her work
NewsAustralia
‘Broken’ heritage laws: Australia launches investigation after 46,000-year-old Aboriginal rock art is obliterated
Parliamentary enquiry will examine how mining giant Rio Tinto obtained legal right to destroy ancient Juukan Gorge site
NewsAntiquities & Archaeology
Paris dealer who sold golden sarcophagus to New York’s Metropolitan Museum charged with fraud and money laundering
The work was returned to Egypt last year after officials were shown evidence it might have been looted during the Arab Spring in 2011
NewsRussia
Russian theatre director Kirill Serebrennikov found guilty of fraud and ordered to pay $1.85m in damages to culture ministry
Accused of embezzling funds while staging a contemporary arts festival, Serebrennikov faced six years in prison but was handed a suspended sentence
NewsArt market
Video, virtual hearings and 'e-bundles': how remote justice is being served in art cases during the pandemic
A focus on long-term planning and contract law are among the chief lockdown concerns
NewsCensorship
'I have a 1% chance of being acquitted': Russian activist faces six years in prison for posting vagina drawings online
Police say the body-positive images, accompanied by captions like ‘Real women have body fat and it’s normal,’ violate pornography laws
NewsUnions
Labour organising committee assails Philadelphia museum’s use of a ‘union avoidance’ law firm
Employees call on the museum to take a position of neutrality in any union vote
NewsAntiquities
Sotheby’s cannot sue Greece over bronze horse, US court rules
The country's government had questioned the provenance of the artefact, forcing it to be pulled from a 2018 sale
NewsHong Kong
Hong Kong artists abroad launch pro-democracy platform as China's security law looms
Online project documents one year of anti-government protests in the territory and aims to rally support from international art community
NewsArt market
Mary Boone released from prison early after the facility sees spike in coronavirus cases
Jailed for tax fraud, the incarcerated Manhattan dealer has been moved to a re-entry facility just under half way through her 30-month sentence
NewsDisasters & destruction
Mining company Rio Tinto apologises for destruction of 46,000-year-old Aboriginal site
Blasting of two ancient rock shelters at Juukan Gorge was authorised in 2013 by Western Australia state government
NewsLaw
Court dismisses Cady Noland’s lawsuit against collector and dealers who conserved Log Cabin sculpture
The conceptual artist, who disavowed the work, claimed that replacing materials without her consent violated the US Visual Artists Rights Act
NewsHeritage
Steve Bannon wins first major battle for medieval monastery
Italy retaliates with criminal prosecution of right-wing religious group funded by US President Donald Trump’s former chief strategist
NewsArt market
Convicted art fraudster Ezra Chowaiki subject of yet more legal drama
New racketeering suit against the disgraced New York art dealer, brought by a Spanish collector regarding paintings by Picasso and Léger, gets off to a mixed start
NewsArt market
Gold tycoon and art collector James Stunt charged with money laundering and forgery
The former husband of heiress Petra Ecclestone denies any criminality and says he will contest all charges
Analysiscoronavirus
Can’t pay your rent? Here’s what you can do if you're a UK gallery
Coronavirus has left many art businesses struggling to pay their bills, but there are resources available to help
NewsLaw
New York court rules Call of Duty video game as art
The gaming publisher Activision is protected under the First Amendment to use the Humvee vehicle brand “if realism is an artistic goal"
NewsAuction houses
Christie's settles $16.7m in tax claims with New York District Attorney
Manhattan prosecutors say the auction house failed to collect sales tax on $189m in private sales over five years
NewsCopyright
US copyright law comes under scrutiny as new legislation makes its way before Congress
A planned new mediation system, which aims to streamline copyright breach claims in the US, has loopholes that could deny artists justice, critics say
NewsLaw
Supreme Court rules film-maker cannot sue North Carolina for copyright infringement
Opinion finds Congress overstepped its authority with 1990 federal statute, but allowed for a new law to "stop states from behaving as copyright pirates"
NewsCollectors
Portuguese judge orders seizure of all assets owned by African art collector Isabel dos Santos in the country
Move is intended to stall the sales of stakes in multi-million-Euro companies based in Portugal
NewsBanksy
Charges dropped against South African billionaire over allegedly fraudulent Banksy deal
Martin Levick had been accused of duping an investor into lending him $3.5m for the purchase of the work
NewsLaw
Mary Boone sued by former director for withholding wages and ‘misappropriating’ more than $10m
The incarcerated dealer allegedly had Gagosian gallery wire millions into her personal account for the sale of a Brice Marden painting to pay off tax penalties before she went to jail
NewsLaw
France reconfirms that women baring their breasts in public is illegal—even for artists and protestors
Two women who are part of the Ukrainian feminist group Femen were charged for topless protests, one of which was in a Paris museum
NewsItaly
Steve Bannon wins again in battle against Italian ministry of culture
President Donald Trump’s former chief strategist wants to set up a nationalist bootcamp in an Italian monastery
AnalysisArt market
When artists and galleries split, what are the legal implications?
As successful artists increasingly seek non-exclusive contracts with multiple galleries, clarity becomes critical in navigating splits between artist and gallery
NewsMuseums
Uffizi wins legal battle against 'cybersquatter' owner of Uffizi.com domain name
The unofficial websites were used to sell tickets to the Florentine museum at inflated prices
NewsLaw
New York dealer sues artist Derek Fordjour for $1.45m
Gallery owner and real estate investor Robert Blumenthal claims the artist failed to deliver seven works promised in a $20,000 deal made in 2014
NewsLaw
San Francisco artist sues Disney for copying her ‘tremendously cool’ painted van in Pixar film
Sweet Cecily Daniher rented her unicorn decorated vehicle to the studio for a party, only to find out its doppelganger will appear in the animated movie Onward
NewsArtist estates
New York judge dismisses further counterclaims made by Robert Indiana's estate against Morgan Art Foundation
The decision made yesterday follows a similar ruling made last July in which the estate’s counterclaims of non-payment of royalties and unauthorised reproductions were dismissed
NewsMuseums
Tate privacy battle over viewing platform 'snooping' goes back to court
Claimant says she feels “completely exposed” in her apartment overlooked by the museum
NewsLaw
Artist pleads guilty to assault and harassment charges in domestic violence case
As part of plea agreement, Tobias Madison must attend a 26-week batterers’ programme and attend weekly therapy sessions to have his criminal record cleared in a year’s time
NewsNazi loot
Supreme Court delays Guelph Treasure appeal so US government can add its views to case
The German state museum agency has argued that it cannot be sued in American courts by heirs of Jewish dealers who sold the works during the Holocaust
NewsControversies
Luanda Leaks: Isabel dos Santos—who owns vast African art collection—accused of making her $2.2bn fortune by exploiting Angola
Dos Santos and her husband Sindika Dokolo own around 3,000 works by artists including William Kentridge and Zanele Muholi
NewsArt crime
Why do courts lack conviction in art cases?
Collapse of Bulmer theft case is just the latest in string of failed art-related convictions
NewsArt market
Tough UK anti-money laundering law comes into force tomorrow—here's what you need to know
The lawyer Kenneth Mullen offers advice to art dealers, agents and galleries who could be unprepared for the hastily enforced new regulations
NewsRestitution
New evidence cited in restitution claim for Panama Papers Modigliani
Dealer Oscar Stettiner’s grandson says painting, now owned by David Nahmad, was looted by Nazis
NewsArt market
'A victory of justice over big money': criminal case against art dealer Yves Bouvier dismissed by Monaco court
Verdict is likely to have a domino effect on all other cases filed by Russian billionaire collector Dmitry Rybolovlev
NewsArt market
Judicial review of UK Ivory Act rejected
After months of fundraising to bring legal action, judge dismisses antiques trade's objections to upcoming ban
NewsLaw
Who really owns this Schiele watercolour Portrait of the Artist's Wife?
A three-way battle is brewing in New York courts as the heirs of two Holocaust victims take on the work’s current owner
NewsLaw
A 13-year fight over cardboard: Kippenberger restoration drama finally comes to a close
Inadvertent damage to paintings’ frames triggered a drawn-out, multi-million dollar lawsuit
NewsArt market
US House of Representatives passes an anti-money laundering bill that could affect art and antiquities dealers
Introduced in March, the Counter Act is the latest legislation that faces dealers with financial regulatory burden
NewsForgeries
Hollywood executive Ron Meyer files $10m lawsuit over alleged forged Rothko
The NBCUniversal vice chairman and co-founder of Creative Artists Agency claims two art dealers duped him into buying the fake painting for nearly $1m in 2001
NewsArt market
Passions run high as UK's controversial Ivory Act challenged in court
Antiques trade fought for judicial review of proposed ban, due to come into force in the coming months, but draft judgement will not be made until 31 October
NewsOpioid Crisis
Nan Goldin brings Pain to Purdue Pharma bankruptcy hearings in New York
Demonstrators at the White Plains courthouse kept up the pressure to hold Sackler family accountable in opioid crisis, as a $10bn settlement hangs in the balance
NewsArt crime
Money laundering, trafficking, ivory: crackdown on art crime intensifies
Wave of sentencing and changes in legislation puts pressure on art world
NewsLaw
Letter calls attention to domestic assault allegations against Swiss artist
Signatories have asked New York's Swiss Institute to address “troubling claims” about an artist included in current group show
NewsArtist estates
How to make the most of an artist’s estate
Four takeaways from the Institute for Artists’ Estates’ Los Angeles workshop
NewsBanksy
The full story behind Banksy's pop-up shop in Croydon
Street artist has created merchandise range from disco balls made from riot police helmets to hand-stitched welcome mats
ArchiveLaw
Italy sues for return of antique pottery which they claim to own under national law because they are objects of archaeological interest.
The US has filed a complaint in a federal district court to determine who owns 230 antiquities produced in ancient Italian pottery workshops
NewsLaw
Art history professor Gary Xu Gang accused of sexual assault and rape by two former students
Plaintiffs' lawyer says sexual harassment of university students remains an 'epidemic' despite the progress of the #MeToo movement
News US politics
Experts fear California's gig economy law may hit culture workers
Independent curators and handlers could be affected but no major changes predicted in museum recruitment practices
NewsUSA
Sackler family agrees to give up 'entire value' of Purdue Pharma in bid to settle opioid cases
But state attorneys general predict an imminent bankruptcy filing as settlement talks break down
NewsLaw
Families express frustration over trial outcome in California's Ghost Ship fire
Acquittal for one man and deadlock on another shifts focus to pending civil lawsuit
ArchiveUSA
US government intervenes as Israel bombing victims issue lawsuit asking for Iranian antiquities from museums
Iran argues that artefacts housed abroad should have immunity since they originate from a foreign sovereign state
NewsLaw
London art dealer Joseph Nahmad spared jail after banging ex-partner’s head against wall during drunken row
Nahmad received a suspended sentence on Friday and must attend 20 days of rehab
NewsLaw
‘Completely unacceptable’: Nan Goldin attacks proposed settlement in opioid crisis
Artist says the reported deal is a cynical attempt to avoid significant restitution
NewsLaw
Sacklers in talks over multibillion-dollar settlement of opioid crisis lawsuits
Proposed settlement calls for family's company Purdue Pharma to file for bankruptcy and become a public trust distributing profits
NewsArt law
Number of Manhattan's park art vendors can be limited by New York City, court rules
Appeals court says that guidelines limiting number of sellers in four green spaces are constitutional
NewsArtists
Robert Indiana’s caretaker allowed him ‘to live in squalor and filth’ despite artist having $13m in the bank
Jamie Thomas is accused of stealing more than $1m and 100 works of art from the late artist in new court filing
NewsArt market
Timothy Sammons 'very remorseful' as he is jailed for defrauding clients of up to $30m
British art dealer sentenced to up to 12 years after pleading guilty to fraud and grand larceny in the New York State Supreme Court
NewsLaw
London art dealer Joseph Nahmad banged partner’s head against wall during drunken row at Knightsbridge flat
Nahmad could face jail time after admitting two counts of assault against Georgia Barry
NewsLaw
Family claims quarter share of disputed Isleworth Mona Lisa
The painting, long the subject of an attribution dispute, is now at the centre of a legal conflict over ownership
NewsLaw
Street artist sues Ellen DeGeneres and Walmart for copyright infringement
Julian Rivera says his heart-shaped “love” design was copied on a popular line of clothing without his permission
CommentLaw
Why this Cézanne painting could hold the key to solving thorny heritage disputes
Innovative agreement to share contested work from Gurlitt trove provides a roadmap for similar legal cases
NewsLaw
Collector says he was duped into selling Brancusi sculpture
He seeks $200m in damages from lawyer who he says "hoodwinked" him
ArchiveCollectors
Mystery of London dealer’s inflated invoices for world’s biggest collector, the head of Qatar's National Council for Culture, Arts and Heritage
The Art Newspaper has obtained invoices sent by Oliver Hoare to Sheikh Saud Al-Thani of Qatar, who remains under arrest in Doha as authorities investigate alleged misuse of public funds
NewsLaw
The last lawsuit in the Knoedler fakes scandal is close to being settled
The Hilti Trust and the defunct gallery’s owners are in the process of reaching an agreement—but they could still end up in court
NewsLooted art
US authorities file criminal charges against antiquities dealer Subhash Kapoor and seven others
The government’s complaint outlines a massive alleged smuggling ring involving other dealers, art restorers and associates who helped create false provenances for looted objects
NewsRobert Indiana
Robert Indiana latest: New York judge dismisses majority of counterclaims made by artist’s estate against Morgan Art Foundation
Allegations that the foundation underpaid Indiana and fabricated unauthorised reproductions of his work were rejected this week
NewsArt market
Warhol's Prince series ruled fair use by a New York judge in contested copyright case
The ruling settles a heated two-year legal battle between the artist's foundation and photographer Lynn Goldsmith, who shot the original image in 1981
NewsArt market
A new catalogue raisonné organisation aims to foil fakes in the art market
The membership-based International Catalogue Raisonné Association will offer discounted legal advice and institute an annual conference
NewsLaw
Sotheby's denied dismissal of Rybolovlev's $380m lawsuit by New York judge
Papers filed in a Manhattan court this week order a pre-trial conference and the release of confidential documents
NewsNazi loot
Berlin museums appeal to US Supreme Court in dispute over €200m Guelph Treasure
The case 'shouldn't be heard in a US court', argues the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation
NewsLaw
Artist's copyright infringement suit heads to US Supreme Court
North Carolina used film director’s images without obtaining his permission or compensating him
NewsCopyright
Bad guy? Billie Eilish video by Dave Meyers mirrors the work of artists Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari
The director seems to once again have borrowed from the work of visual artists, which has previously led to lawsuits against Kendrick Lamar and Ariana Grande
NewsState Russian Museum
State Russian Museum refurbishment cancelled amid protests
The renovation threatened the museum's architecture and collection, plaintiffs argued
NewsNazi loot
Court case over three Derain paintings will test France's promise to speed up Nazi-era claims
Grandchildren of art dealer René Gimpel accuse French culture ministry of blocking restitution of works hanging in state museums
NewsBuilding projects
Could a parking garage hold up Lacma’s new Zumthor building?
A local group has sued Los Angeles County over the plan’s environmental impact report
News
‘Portuguese Saatchi’ in hot water over alleged €1bn debt
Three Portuguese banks have filed a lawsuit to recover funds from Joe Berardo, whose vast collection on show in Lisbon is one of the most visited in Portugal
CommentLaw
The US Supreme Court’s silence on Nazi art theft fails Holocaust survivors
Last week’s decision to reject an appeal over the ownership of Picasso’s The Actor was a missed opportunity to clarify the limitations of the 2016 HEAR Act
Sam P. Israel