Law

Lawcomment

The UK has updated its Anti-Money Laundering Guidance—here's what it means for the art market

Clarifications simplify who falls into the "regulated art sector" and who should be doing "Know Your Customer" or "KYC" checks on whom

Billionaire battle rages on as Geneva court overturns dismissal of Dmitry Rybolovev's fraud case against art dealer Yves Bouvier

Rybolovlev is accusing Bouvier of having swindled €1.1bn from him through the €2bn sales of 38 works of art from 2003 to 2014

New York City removes rules governing auction houses in bid to stimulate business

But firms say they will continue to operate policies and practices that promote transparency

St Petersburg artist faces prison after anti-war protest in grocery store

Sasha Skochilenko replaced price tags with news reports about bombings in the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol

Qatari sheikh loses appeal over fake antiquities claim against Phoenix Ancient Art

Sheikh Hamad Bin Abdullah al-Thani had accused the New York- and Geneva-based dealership of selling him two allegedly fake statues for a combined $5.2m

Rothko lawsuit lays bare the privacy versus provenance conflict

A recent case, relating to the sale of work by the Abstract Expressionist, centred on the tension between client confidentiality and transparency; the solution is far from simple

Labournews

Can New York's imminent salary transparency law pierce the art world's smokescreen?

City council's move to enforce wage disclosures in job adverts could usher in a sea change at major US cultural institutions—challenging persistent pay inequality in the sector

Jeff Koons loses court case against Italian collector over 'fake' work

The American artist claimed the sculpture of two snakes was a fake—now a court in Italy has overruled him and said the collector can seek compensation

New Twitter safety rules banning non-consensual imagery branded 'a declaration of war against photojournalists'

Social media giant will now delete published images and videos that violate a person's privacy—a move that could prove detrimental to news reporting

Berlin art dealer suspected of cheating clients has died

Michael Schultz was arrested in 2019 but died before he could be prosecuted

Belgium plans to hand back colonial loot to DR Congo

New law will set up expert commission to sift through thousands of objects at the Royal Museum for Central Africa

Two artists face federal charges for faking Indigenous heritage

The Washington-based artists have been charged with claiming enrollment in Indigenous tribes, violating the Indian Arts and Crafts Act

Lawyer who sparked criminal probe into Guy Wildenstein tax case found guilty of fraudulently hiding $5.1m

Claude Dumont-Beghi has managed to partially challenge her conviction, though judges uphold money laundering decision

'We will not forget about Viktor': incarcerated Russian arms dealer's art goes on show in Moscow

Viktor Bout was handed a 25-year sentence in the US in 2010 for conspiring to sell weapons to FARC, Colombia's largest rebel group

Russianews

Teacher at prestigious Moscow art school accused of abusing his underage students

Court has ordered the arrest of Viktor Yelizarov after more than ten former pupils came forward with allegations against him

Art trade in ‘constructive dialogue’ with UK government as economic crime levy policy paper is published

Levy threatened to disproportionately affect galleries, which measure turnover differently to auction houses

Art collector sues NFT platform Nifty Gateway over Beeple auction

Amir Soleymani, who has had his Nifty account and assets frozen, has accused the platform of changing its terms of sale

'No matter how wealthy you are, no one is above the law': New York court rejects Sotheby's attempt to dismiss suit alleging it helped collector evade tax on $27m of art

Attorney general claims the auction house created and used tax exemption certificates that falsely presented the buyer as an art dealer in order to dodge payments. Sotheby's says it will continue to contest the case

Art marketcomment

The tension between copyright law and Appropriation art: where is the line between artistic innovation and stealing?

As a US court issues a decision on the dispute between the Andy Warhol Foundation and photographer Lynn Goldsmith, two lawyers explore past case studies in this legally controversial area

Lawnews

Trial date set for Belgian artist Jan Fabre following three-year #MeToo investigation

Choreographer faces charges of sexual harassment and indecent assault

Genevan court dismisses Dimitry Rybolovev's case against art dealer Yves Bouvier—but feud between the two billionaires is not over yet

Russian art collector had sued for double dealing and will now appeal decision, while Bouvier plans to launch $1bn countersuit for damages—and write a tell-all book

Lawnews

North Carolina film-maker’s copyright case against the state revived after Supreme Court denial

A district court will now consider whether Rick Allen’s footage of a pirate ship salvage operation was unjustly taken by state officials

Safani Gallery's lawsuit against Italy over disputed antiquity dismissed in court

The New York-based gallery sued after US authorities seized a bust of Alexander the Great in 2018. The sculpture's ownership and future remains unresolved

German socialite Angela Gulbenkian pleads guilty to theft in London court

The charges against her stemmed from the fraudulent sale of a £1.1m Yayoi Kusama pumpkin sculpture to a Hong Kong collector, while a similar claim against her over a Warhol portrait remains in German court

Lawnews

Settlement reached over Robert Indiana’s estate—paving way for planned museum in artist's home in Maine

Under the agreement, the Morgan Art Foundation will continue to promote the Pop artist's work in museums and on the market

If you sell art in the UK, you must register for anti-money laundering supervision by tomorrow—or risk prosecution

"Art market participants" who sell works of art worth €10,000 (£8,600) or more must register with the HMRC by 10 June

Lawnews

French heir renounces title to Nazi-looted Pissarro painting found in Oklahoma

The Shepherdess Bringing in Sheep will return this summer to the University of Oklahoma, which will seek a French partner for future exchanges

Not laughing now: Banksy loses second trademark case over famous monkey image

Ruling slams British street artist for “sham efforts” in trying to mislead the European Union Intellectual Property Office

Designnews

Artists’ signal-jamming chandelier sculpture challenges our reliance on technology—and FCC laws

The goal of the design is to encourage interpersonal connections and promote mental health