Art law

Our advice encompasses a broad range of legal issues, including advice relating to:

• title and provenance
• authenticity and attribution
• transactional and contractual advice for artists, collectors, dealers, insurers and auction houses
• negotiating sale and purchase agreements for dealers and collectors
• standard terms of sale and purchase
• misattributed or damaged artwork sold at auction or privately
• art-related aspects of estates, wills, trusts and tax planning
• cultural property issues.

What we’ve done

Some of the work which we have undertaken in the past includes:

• assisting an international gallery in a dispute over the misattribution of an important Russian painting sold at auction
• advising several leading art dealers on issues arising out of their standard terms and conditions
• acting for an antiques dealer in connection with a substantial dispute with an auction house over title to an important piece of artwork
• advising a London silver dealer on the acquisition of a major collection of antique silver, formerly part of the Royal collection, from an international media tycoon
• advising a company on issues connected with the taking of security over modern artwork in order to protect a loan giving advice to a charity on the sale by auction of gifted art to raise funds for charitable purposes
• acting in an advisory capacity for a global on-line registry of new, used and stolen valuables and artwork, which provides a proprietary system to validate ownership on-line and in real time
• advising a private collector of 20th century British paintings in a dispute over attribution.
  

Specialist advice

Our team is led by Philip Davis a specialist in the art sector with a well-earned reputation for being one of the UK’s pre-eminent art lawyers. He has an impressive network of international contacts ranging from fine art and antiques dealers to auction houses, valuers and insurers. He also has close links with a worldwide network of specialist art law firms.

Philip’s familiarity with the art market enables him to give practical, commercial advice to clients in the sector, combined with a personalised service and a commitment to providing intelligent and creative legal advice.
The firm is recommended by the two main trade associations for professional art and antiques dealers, the British Antique Dealers’ Association (BADA) and the Association of Art & Antiques Dealers (formerly LAPADA).