Coins, jewellery, mosaics, glassware, vases, figurines and other artefacts are reportedly being excavated and smuggled out of Iraq and Syria on an ‘industrial’ scale, to be sold online or in Western dealerships. Continue reading
Gerhard Richter has raised an interesting conundrum for collectors and lawyers alike. The well-respected artist has a reputation for a rigorous control of his oeuvre, and has one of the most thorough and comprehensive catalogue raisonné of any artist, living or dead. (Much of this information, which includes a photograph of each work, alongside details of its provenance, exhibition and literature history is available to view online, although the website issues a disclaimer that it is not to be treated as a catalogue raisonné, and therefore ‘may not be relied upon as constituting a representation or warranty that such work is or is not an authentic work of Gerhard Richter’). Continue reading
Lessons learned from the case of Thwaytes v Sotheby’s
In 2006 Mr Thwaytes consigned a painting, the Cardsharps, to Sotheby’s for further investigation. Sotheby’s advised it was a good 17th Century copy of the original by Caravaggio and the painting was sold at auction for a hammer price of £42,000 to a leading Caravaggio scholar, Sir Denis Mahon, who later announced that he and others believed it to be by Caravaggio, and therefore worth far more. Continue reading
Since our last two articles (here and here) there have been several developments in the ongoing saga of the Gurlitt collection. Continue reading
Further to our previous article on whether there should be an expiration date on restitution claims, a Los Angeles federal judge has denied California’s Norton Simon Museum’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by a woman seeking the return of two paintings in their collection on the grounds that the claimant is too late. Continue reading
Boodle Hatfield LLP acted for Mr Thwaytes in his claim against fine art auctioneers Sotheby’s. Judgment was handed down on 16 January 2015 and you can read it in full here. Continue reading
Art Law & More 