Law Major U.S. Auction Houses Have Reportedly Been Subpoenaed as Part of a Federal Investigation Into Sanctioned Russian Oligarchs The investigation is probing how Russian tycoons have used art to evade sanctions or launder money. By Taylor Dafoe, Feb 3, 2023
Law A French Court Has Refused to Drop Antiquities Smuggling Charges Against Ex-Louvre Director Jean-Luc Martinez Both Martinez and curator Jean-Francois Charnier, who is also ensnared in the allegations, will appeal the decision. By Devorah Lauter, Feb 3, 2023
Law The Brooklyn Gallerist Who Artist Deborah Roberts Is Suing for Copyright Infringement Has Fired Back, Calling It a Case of ‘Punching Down’ Richard Beavers has filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit. By Eileen Kinsella, Feb 2, 2023
Law A French Court Has Ordered Christie’s to Restitute an Adriaen Van Der Werff Painting That Was Stolen During World War II Parisian collector Lionel Hauser reported the work's theft in 1945. By Sarah Cascone, Feb 1, 2023
Law The U.K. Supreme Court Has Ruled That a Tate Modern Viewing Gallery Is a ‘Nuisance’ to Neighboring Luxury Apartments Residents of the glass-walled apartments that could been seen from the gallery's viewing platform have been living "on display like a zoo," the court finds. By Vivienne Chow, Feb 1, 2023
Law House Republicans Pressure Hunter Biden’s Art Dealer to Turn Over Sales Records and Appear Before a Committee “Your arrangement with Hunter Biden raises serious ethics concerns,” Representative James Comer wrote in a message to Biden’s dealer. By Artnet News, Jan 26, 2023
Law Artists and Illustrators Are Suing Three A.I. Art Generators for Scraping and ‘Collaging’ Their Work Without Consent The plaintiffs claim the A.I. tools have unlawfully scraped and used their artwork in training datasets. By Min Chen, Jan 24, 2023
Law The Heir of a German-Jewish Collector Is Suing the Guggenheim for the Return of a Prized Picasso Painting—Or $150 Million The museum says the 1938 sale was a “fair transaction” and that the complaint is “without merit.” By Taylor Dafoe, Jan 23, 2023
Law An Evicted Princess Is Refusing to Vacate a Roman Villa That’s Home to Caravaggio’s Only Ceiling Mural Princess Rita plans to appeal the 60-day eviction notice. By Sarah Cascone, Jan 23, 2023
Law Painter Peter Doig Wins $2.5 Million in Sanctions Against a Gallery That Tried to Force Him to Take Credit for Another Artist’s Work The painting looked like an early Peter Doig. But it was actually the work of the mysterious Peter Doige, painted while he was incarcerated. By Sarah Cascone, Jan 18, 2023
Law Getty Images Is Suing the Company Behind Stable Diffusion, Saying the A.I. Generator Illegally Scraped Its Content The stock image platform says that the A.I. firm violated copyright laws. By Taylor Dafoe, Jan 17, 2023
Law A Prized Van Gogh Was Sold Under Nazi Threat, Say the Heirs of a Jewish Banker Who Are Suing to Reclaim the Painting From a Museum A Japanese company acquired the "Sunflowers" canvas at auction in 1987 and plans to defend its ownership rights to keep the piece in its museum. By Taylor Dafoe, Jan 13, 2023
Law TeamLab Wins an Early Victory in Its Copyright Suit Against an L.A. Museum It Says Copied Its Immersive Installations Additional copyright issues will be determined at a jury trial in California. By Eileen Kinsella, Jan 13, 2023
Law A Scientist Has Filed Suit Against the U.S. Copyright Office, Arguing His A.I.-Generated Art Should Be Granted Protections Stephen Thaler generated the artwork with DABUS, an A.I. system he built. By Min Chen, Jan 12, 2023
Law An Artist Suing Meow Wolf for $1 Million Is on the Hook to Pay the Experiential Art Giant’s Legal Fees Lauren Adele Oliver will have to cover Meow Wolf's legal costs for two motions filed regarding her mass deletion of emails. By Sarah Cascone, Jan 11, 2023
