Law For Years, Art Dealer Georges Lotfi Helped Investigators Root Out Antiquities Traffickers. Now Prosecutors Are Hunting for Him Investigators say the tipster became too assured of his own self-importance. By Eileen Kinsella, 2 days ago
Law Henry Darger’s Heirs Open Up a New Front in Their Legal Battle to Control His Lucrative Market A group of 50 distant relatives are trying to wrest control from the late artist's former landlords. By Eileen Kinsella, Aug 2, 2022
Law In a Surprise Move, a Swiss Court Is Reopening an Investigation Into Swiss Billionaire Yves Bouvier at the Behest of His Nemesis, Dmitry Rybolovlev The previous case was thrown out on bribery-related allegations in Monaco. By Eileen Kinsella, Jul 29, 2022
Law An Iraqi Court Has Overturned a British Tourist’s 15-Year Sentence For Stealing Ancient Pottery Shards James Fitton, a retired geologist who took the objects as souvenirs of a guided tour, is expected to be released soon. By Taylor Dafoe, Jul 26, 2022
Law French Authorities Detain Two Archaeologists, Including a Louvre Curator, as Part of an Ongoing International Art-Trafficking Dragnet The pair are suspected of negligently advising the Louvre Abu Dhabi to purchase artworks with unclear provenance. By Devorah Lauter, Jul 25, 2022
Law A Version of Monopoly Featuring a Graffiti Artist’s Mural Has Sparked a Fierce Legal Drama Over Copyright The artist says including a photo of his mural in the game constitutes copyright infringement. By Eileen Kinsella, Jul 21, 2022
Law Sotheby’s Allowed a ‘Stranger’ to Pick Up $4 Million Worth of Someone Else’s Diamonds. A Judge Says the Auction House May Be Liable The case involves Jona Rechnitz, a convicted felon who faces other fraud charges. By Sarah Cascone, Jul 21, 2022
Law New York City Has Returned $14 Million in Stolen Antiquities to Italy, Including Dozens Recovered From a Hedge-Fund Billionaire The repatriated objects are expected to go on display at the recently opened Museum of Rescued Art in Rome. By Taylor Dafoe, Jul 21, 2022
Law A Sculptor’s Lawsuit Against Jeff Koons Over the Originality of the Mega-Artist’s Most Infamous Work Can Proceed, a U.S. Judge Rules Michael Hayden says Koons improperly used one of his sculptures in the "Made in Heaven" series. By Eileen Kinsella, Jul 20, 2022
Law New York City Repealed Laws Governing the Auction Industry. Here’s What That Actually Means for the Business Our crack legal experts answer all your questions. By Thomas C. Danziger & Asa Spurlock, Jul 20, 2022
Law Some Art Institutions in Red States Are Offering to Cover Travel Expenses for Employees Seeking an Abortion. Most Are Not We reached out to 16 institutions to request their policies. By Annie Armstrong, Jul 13, 2022
Law Vandals Who Target Public Monuments in the U.K. Now Face Drastically Harsher Fines and Prison Sentences Under a New Law Experts believe this new provision in the law could pose a threat to the freedom to protest. By Jo Lawson-Tancred, Jul 13, 2022
Law Maurizio Cattelan Won His Legal Case Against His Disgruntled Fabricator. But, for Some, Key Questions Remain Unanswered A French court dismissed the case, saying that the fabricator misfired by suing the artist's gallery, rather than the artist. By Devorah Lauter, Jul 8, 2022
Law An Artist Sued Maurizio Cattelan for Allegedly Copying His Duct-Taped Banana. A Miami Judge Just Allowed the Case to Proceed United States District Judge Robert N. Scola, Jr. asked: "Did Joe Morford sufficiently allege that Cattelan’s banana infringes his banana?” By Anna Sansom, Jul 8, 2022
Law To Criticize ‘Excessive’ Copyright Protection, a Law Professor Minted NFTs of a Warhol Work That’s Now the Subject of a Supreme Court Case American law professor Brian L. Frye recently minted a collection of 16 NFTs based on a contested artwork by Andy Warhol. By Dorian Batycka, Jul 7, 2022
