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
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
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
NewsLaw
Collector says he was duped into selling Brancusi sculpture
He seeks $200m in damages from lawyer who he says "hoodwinked" him
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
NewsArt market
More grief for Aristophil investors as French government seizes hundreds of documents
Around 18,000 people invested in the now bankrupted company's manuscripts collection, but state says many items of historical importance should never have been sold
NewsLaw
US Supreme Court declines to hear appeal on Nazi-looted art
Norton Simon Museum can keep two Lucas Cranach masterpieces
NewsLaw
Robert Indiana’s estate tries to prevent further reproductions of artist’s LOVE and HOPE works
Fresh claims made in court say licensing agreements with the Morgan Art Foundation and publisher Michael McKenzie ended when Indiana died a year ago
NewsKnoedler
Knoedler owner Michael Hammer may be liable for fraud over fakes, New York judge finds
The ruling was based on the loose business dealings of Hammer, the gallery and its parent company—like reimbursing him $2m for luxury cars
NewsPussy Riot
Pussy Riot member Veronika Nikulshina detained in Moscow on suspected drug charges
It is the second time in a month that the feminist activist has been arrested by police
NewsLaw
Wildenstein & Co sued for the 1985 sale of an alleged fake Bonnard painting
The collectors are seeking more than $300,000 in damages after the painting failed to be authenticated before heading to auction last year
NewsMonuments
Virginia judge rules that two Confederate statues in Charlottesville are war memorials
City Council members seeking to remove them argued that they were actually monuments to white supremacy
NewsRestitution
Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection can keep a painting that the Nazis stole, US judge rules
The judge says the work should have raised suspicions, but that he must apply Spanish law
NewsArt market
Artvest sells its stake in Tefaf New York just days before fair opens
Sale marks the end of legal battle over ownership between the US art investment firm and the non-profit Dutch fair group
NewsArt market
EU copyright crackdown is intended to protect artists, but might it damage their market instead?
New laws to stop copyrighted material from being uploaded to social media without permission could pose problems for those using sites like Instagram to sell art
NewsLaw
Art vs porn: Iowa prisoners mount legal challenge to nude image ban
A new statute means inmates cannot access art, literature and even medical journals that contain nudity
NewsArt market
Two art dealers sentenced over 'fake-genuine' Rodin sculptures after 18 year legal battle
US-based Gary Snell and Paris dealer Robert Crouzet found guilty in French court of making and selling copies of works by the French sculptor
NewsArt market
Court case over 'modern forgery' Frans Hals concludes but judgment reserved until summer
Sotheby's James Martin stands by his assertion that the painting is a fake following hours of interrogation challenging the independence of his scientific analysis
NewsEuropean Union
EU adopts new rules on cultural heritage imports
Regulation is designed to protect against smuggling and cut off a source of terrorist financing
NewsContemporary art
German art collective under investigation by state prosecutor
Zentrum für politische Schönheit sees artistic freedom under attack
NewsArt market
Sotheby’s settles claim against London dealer Mark Weiss in Frans Hals case
Settlement came day before trial was due to start, but its suit against financier will continue
NewsLaw
Protesters, influencers and AI: what museums need to think about today
Legal experts discussed the pressing topics for institutions at a recent conference in Washington, DC
NewsArt market
‘Stay of execution’ for art shippers as EU extends deadline for permits
A shortage of ECMT permits poses “huge concerns” for British art handlers in Europe
NewsLaw
The Hague’s art arbitration court to open in April
But it remains an open question whether the trade will accept the new court’s decisions
NewsLaw
US Supreme Court declines to review a challenge to the National Gallery's ownership of a Matisse
Grandchildren of muse depicted in 1908 painting exhaust their US appeals
NewsArt crime
London dealers embroiled in Ezra Chowaiki fraud scheme over $1.2m Chagall painting
Fresh complaint seeks the return of the work allegedly sold by the disgraced Manhattan dealer under false pretences
NewsLaw
National Gallery's art educators owed same rights as permanent staff, London tribunal rules
NG27 group's case is described as first in public sector to address concerns over “gig economy” but museum says there will be implications
NewsArt market
Mary Boone's Manhattan galleries will close in April following her jail-time sentencing for tax fraud
Facing 30 months in prison beginning in May, the dealer calls herself the "Martha Stewart of the art world"
NewsLaw
French court fines Art Basel backer UBS €3.7bn for tax evasion and money laundering
The conviction follows a seven-year investigation into the Swiss banking giant by French authorities
NewsArt market
'Saddened, humbled and heartbroken': Mary Boone sentenced to 30 months in jail for tax fraud
New York art dealer falsely claimed around $1.6m in personal expenses as tax-deductible business expenses in 2011
NewsArt market
London art dealer Richard Green sued by US tycoon over €5m Old Master purchases
Gary Klesch claims undisclosed provenance led him to pay higher price for two paintings by Jan Brueghel the Elder and Salomon van Ruysdael
NewsTate Modern
Glass flats 'come at the price of privacy', judge rules in case in favour of Tate Modern against residents
Demands that the gallery close off part of its viewing-platform to prevent an invasion of privacy are dismissed in high court
NewsCopyright
Las Vegas-based artist claims that Ariana Grande plagiarised his work
Vladimir Kush is suing the 7 Rings singer for copyright infringement
NewsPyotr Pavlensky
Russian performance artist Pyotr Pavlensky gets three-year prison sentence, but walks free for time served
Verdict was handed down in dramatic Paris hearing, which Pavlensky dedicated to the Marquis de Sade
NewsArt market
Art dealer Mary Boone claims early-life trauma prompted her criminal tax evasion
A psychological evaluation submitted by her lawyers to a Manhattan federal court ask for leniency in judge’s ruling
NewsArt market
Shagalov sues Paul Kasmin Gallery over Stella ownership
The art dealer has been involved in a number of lawsuits, which allege he defaulted on purchases of art
CommentLaw
Why American artists should benefit from the resale of their works
The new Congress could reintroduce a key bill to establish droit de suite in the US
NewsSexual harassment
New York court dismisses case against Knight Landesman and Artforum magazine
Former publisher had been accused of sexual harassment by a former employee and several other women
NewsExhibitions
Settlement of lawsuit paves way for Derek Jarman painting show
The case began when Jarman’s long-term companion Keith Collins lodged a civil action against the art dealer Richard Salmon
NewsArt market
US anti-money-laundering bill could reappear early next year
Critics say the proposed law, which stalled following the US mid-term elections, would place an unnecessary burden on dealers
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Staff at State Russian Museum take legal action to halt renovation
Senior employees claim the $17m project threatens the Mikhailovsky Palace building and its collections
AnalysisLaw
Rule of law: Legal tips for art lovers
From new exhibitor regulations at Art Basel in Miami Beach to questions over insurance and taxes
NewsLaw
Widower takes aim at chairman of Pollock-Krasner Foundation
Husband of deceased leader argues in court filings that chairman strong-armed his way into the post
NewsPussy Riot
Pussy Riot to receive €37,000 compensation from Russia for human rights violations
European Court of Human Rights ordered payment over treatment of the group in pre-trial detention and treatment in court
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
Sharon Hecker