Law & Politics A French Court Acquits Four Anti-Colonial Activists Who Removed a Spear From a Museum, Saying the Gesture Counts as Free Speech The Congolese activist Mwazulu Diyabanza says the verdict sets an encouraging precedent. By Naomi Rea, Nov 19, 2020
Law & Politics A Giant Statue of Marilyn Monroe Will Be Installed in Front of the Palm Springs Art Museum. Its Director Says It Objectifies Women A museum trustee warns that 'Forever Marilyn' implies "an unhealthy encouragement of risqué behavior of women.” By Artnet News, Nov 18, 2020
Law & Politics Dealers Try to Repel Speculators by Making Buyers Agree Not to Flip Their Art. But Can Those Contracts Actually Be Enforced? The threat of getting blacklisted might be an effective deterrent, but leading lawyers argue that non-resale clauses might not be enforceable in court. By Ivan Macquisten, Nov 18, 2020
Law & Politics Six Artists Are Suing a Property Owner for Painting Over Beloved Murals at a Famed San Francisco Gay Bar During Pride Month The artists are suing under the Visual Artists Rights Act, which allows for up to $150,000 per destroyed artwork. By Brian Boucher, Nov 18, 2020
Law & Politics Raids by Hundreds of German Police Have Led to the Arrest of Three Suspects in Connection to the Sensational Jewel Heist From Dresden’s Green Vault More than 1,600 police carried out raids leading to the arrests. By Kate Brown, Nov 17, 2020
Law & Politics A Hedge-Fund Manager Whose Company Sold a Fake Frans Hals at Auction Is Appealing a Court Order to Return $6 Million to Sotheby’s A case linked to a high-profile Old Master forgery ring is back in court. By Sarah Cascone, Nov 16, 2020
Law & Politics A Local Mayor Is Ordering the Removal of Nick Cave’s Pro-Truth Artwork Outside of Jack Shainman’s Upstate New York Outpost Not everyone in the village of Kinderhook is pleased with the artist's text piece about political propaganda. By Taylor Dafoe, Nov 11, 2020
Law & Politics Sotheby’s Just Got Slapped With a Lawsuit by the New York Attorney General Alleging Millions of Dollars in Unpaid Taxes Government lawyers say the auction house bilked the public out of huge revenues. By Eileen Kinsella, Nov 7, 2020
Law & Politics California Arts Professionals Are Teaming Up With Local Mayors to Lobby for Eased Restrictions on Museums The state's restrictions on museums are among the most stringent in the country—and local lawmakers aren't pleased. By Taylor Dafoe, Nov 4, 2020
Law & Politics Thieves Swipe Nazi Uniforms From a Danish Museum, the Latest in a Bizarre Wave of World War II Memorabilia Robberies The latest robbery follows a string of crimes targeting Nazi artifacts at museums in the Netherlands. By Sarah Cascone, Nov 4, 2020
Law & Politics In a Sign of Growing Art-Market Scrutiny, the US Treasury Department Issued a Warning to Art Businesses to Keep Track of Buyers’ Identities The advisory comes after a major congressional report found that two sanctioned Russian oligarchs used art to launder money in the US. By Taylor Dafoe, Nov 3, 2020
Law & Politics How Does Jenny Holzer Get the Rights for All the Texts She Uses in Her Artwork? + Other Artists’-Rights Questions, Answered Can a politician get sued for plagiarizing someone else's speech? And how can artists use pop music in their work without getting into trouble? By Katarina Feder, Nov 2, 2020
Law & Politics A Dispute Over a Pissarro Painting Looted by Nazis Was Settled Four Years Ago. Now, It’s Going Back to Court An agreement reached in 2016 is now again up for legal wrangling. By Sarah Cascone, Nov 2, 2020
Law & Politics Still Recovering From the First Lockdown, Museums and Galleries in England Will Close Again for at Least Four Weeks Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the new lockdown on Saturday. By Naomi Rea, Nov 2, 2020
Law & Politics John Hinckley, Who Tried to Assassinate Ronald Reagan, Can Now Share His Art With the World, a Judge Rules The 65-year-old hopes to sell his art on Etsy and upload his music to streaming services. By Artnet News, Oct 29, 2020
