Law After Years of Foot-Dragging, France’s National Assembly Just Approved the Restitution of Looted Artifacts to Benin and Senegal Since France's groundbreaking report on restitution in 2018, the country has returned exactly zero objects to Africa. By Taylor Dafoe, Oct 7, 2020
Law Activists Who Seized an African Statue From a Paris Museum Are Now on Trial. Their Argument: It Wasn’t Theft, It Was Political Protest Prosecutors downgraded the fine to just €1,000 for the group's leader and €500 each for his associates. By Kate Brown, Oct 1, 2020
Law A New Report on Transnational Crime Shows That the Business of Smuggling Cultural Property Is Not as Big as People Think The World Customs Organization's illicit trade report shows cultural heritage crime pales in comparison to other risk categories. By Ivan Macquisten, Sep 28, 2020
Law Artist Shantell Martin Ponders Legal Action After a Wine Brand Allegedly Stole Her Work for Its Label Bodegas San Huberto appears to have directly copied a mural Martin created for a 2017 show at the Albright-Knox in Buffalo. By Sarah Cascone, Sep 24, 2020
Law Police Are Searching for a Man Who Attacked a British Museum’s Benin Bronzes After He Failed to Appear in Court Isaiah Ogundele is one of two men facing charges in Europe this month for dramatic protests against museums' colonial-era artifacts. By Kate Brown, Sep 23, 2020
Law The FBI Has Arrested Two New York Antiquities Dealers for Falsifying Ownership Histories Using Dead Collectors’ Names The owners of Fortuna Fine Art have been charged with falsifying documents. By Eileen Kinsella, Sep 22, 2020
Law The End of the Long, Exceedingly Nasty Legal Battle Over Robert Indiana’s Assets Is in Sight as Two Art Foundations Reach an Agreement The artist’s longtime representative reached an out-of-court deal with the foundation established to oversee his estate. By Taylor Dafoe, Sep 22, 2020
Law Ousted Montreal Museum Director Nathalie Bondil Is Suing Her Former Employer for $1.5 Million Over the ‘Destruction of Her Reputation’ Meanwhile, the embattled board chair is stepping down from his role. By Sarah Cascone, Sep 21, 2020
Law Reversing an Earlier Decision, Marlborough Is Not Closing Its New York Gallery—But It Is Trading Lawsuits With Ousted Former President Max Levai The two sides traded lawsuits this week in Manhattan. By Sarah Cascone, Sep 17, 2020
Law In a Threat to Banksy’s Empire, an EU Court Rules That He Can’t Hold Trademarks While His Identity Remains a Mystery The ruling against the anonymous artist came in the midst of a bitter legal battle between him and a greeting-card company that used one of his images. By Taylor Dafoe, Sep 17, 2020
Law In Bangladesh, Pro-Government Forces Disrupted a Protest Performance Featuring Photos by Artist Shahidul Alam Some 60 human rights activists have issued a statement condemning the action. By Taylor Dafoe, Sep 14, 2020
Law The Tate Has Permanently Cut Ties With Patron Anthony d’Offay More Than Two Years After He Faced Harassment Accusations Dealer Anthony d'Offay served as one of its leading patrons over the years. By Eileen Kinsella, Sep 4, 2020
Law Hackers Have Stolen Private Information From Donor Lists to 200 Institutions, Including the Smithsonian and the UK’s National Trust The Parrish Art Museum and the Corning Museum of Glass were also hit by ransomware. By Sarah Cascone, Sep 2, 2020
Law California’s Legislature Just Passed a Bill to Make It Easier for Native American Tribes to Reclaim Remains and Artifacts From Museums A California state bill that would expand repatriation rights for Native American tribes is heading to the governor's desk. By Eileen Kinsella, Sep 1, 2020
Law A Union Representing Museum of Natural History Workers Is Suing the Institution Over an Allegedly Invasive Health-Screening Policy The union says the app employees are being forced to use does not comply with medical confidentiality laws. By Sarah Cascone, Aug 27, 2020
