Law

Lawnews

Daughter sues her father over Jean-Michel Basquiat painting

Belinda Neumann-Donnelly claims the work could have made an extra $15m if Hubert Neumann had not tried to block its sale

Collector appeals for return of Pissarro painting restituted through a 1945 order made by the Allies in France

"This may raise many important Holocaust issues for the French market," Christie’s says

Sotheby's sues Greece over its claim to ancient bronze horse

A case of man bites dog: auction house turns the tables on Greek government after it was forced to withdraw the figure from New York sale in May

Palestinian stories reconstructed through films, photographs and artefacts confiscated by Israel

An Israeli art historian has spent 20 years trawling the country’s archives for Palestinian cultural property

Lawnews

German museum and auctioneer Im Kinsky tussle over looted glass goblet

Object was returned to consigner not museum from where it was looted at the end of Second World War

UK permits Nazi-looted Meissen figure to leave for Japan despite spoliation claim

There appear to be no winners in what the Arts Council refers to as an “extremely unusual” case

Russian tycoon accuses Yves Bouvier of 'campaign of disinformation' as US calls off investigation into Swiss entrepreneur

Dmitry Rybolovlev's $450m windfall from Salvator Mundi sale undermined fraud allegation, report says, but criminal cases against Bouvier in Europe are ongoing

Kraemer brothers among six charged over allegedly fake Louis XIV furniture

Laurent and Olivier Kraemer charged with organised fraud and money laundering in ongoing investigation over so-called "fake Boulles"

Russian billionaire’s Peri Foundation will keep paying for culture after arrest

It is business as usual, says the organisation’s director, as its founder, Ziyavudin Magomedov, remains in custody awaiting trial on racketeering charges

Lawnews

Art consultant pleads guilty to filing false tax return

Lacy Doyle hid millions of dollars in inheritance in a Swiss bank account, US Attorney says

Lawnews

Fight over Frida Kahlo trademark takes a new turn as corporation countersues her family

The legal tussle escalated recently with a controversial Barbie doll modelled on the Mexican artist and feminist icon’s image

Lawnews

New tribunal aims to provide expertise and impartiality for art disputes

The forthcoming Court of Arbitration for Art could cut costs and time, add anonymity

Lawnews

New York art dealer pleads guilty to multimillion-dollar fraud

The court has ordered that Ezra Chowaiki forfeit over $16.6m as well as works by Picasso, Calder, Chagall and Degas

US government could regulate art dealers under proposed law

New York law firm warns galleries that legislation could mean new compliance and reporting regime

Lawnews

The dark web, surveillance dolls and Van Gogh’s zombie ear: technology’s role in art debated at Boston conference

While artists and museums embrace futuristic tools, legal experts point to a number of pitfalls with cutting-edge work

Lawnews

Collector sues Jeff Koons and Gagosian Gallery over years-long delivery delays

Steven Tananbaum has paid $13m for three sculptures over a five-year period but still has not received any of the works

Lawnews

Legal battle over Modigliani painting rumbles on

A New York State judge’s decision keeps a claim on Seated Man with a Cane alive

London dealer ordered to return Egon Schiele works worth $5m to heirs of Holocaust victims

The heirs' attorney describes ruling as step closer to recovering "largest mass-theft in history," but Richard Nagy plans to appeal

Piero Manzoni Foundation criticised for destruction of works

Foundation denies allegations that it manipulates the authentication process to inflate the value of its holdings

Is the EGO Act a lot of hot air?

A new law bans government-funded oil portraits of officials, but most paintings have been paid for privately for years

Holocaust survivor’s family seeks painting in Ukrainian museum

Meanwhile, much of the country’s art is stuck in limbo and its own efforts to recover cultural property have stalled

Settlement reached in saga over Chinese buyer’s unpaid Richter bill

The complex saga started in June 2015 when the Beijing-based businessman Zhang Chang bought a work by Francis Bacon at Christie’s

Lawnews

ACLU files art censorship lawsuit against the city of New Orleans

A citizen is facing potential jail time over a mural referencing Trump’s 2005 Access Hollywood tape

French court makes mixed ruling in Courbet ‘censorship’ case

The social media giant was found to be at fault for closing a schoolteacher’s account but his claims for €20,000 in damages were dismissed

Lawnews

Convictions as German case against dealers in Russian avant-garde art comes to an end

Itzhak Zarug and his business partner Moez Ben Hazaz found guilty of fabricating provenance of three works

Lawnews

New Russian law recognises contemporary art at last

Ultra-rich collectors who run their own museums will benefit from the change

Tough new scrutiny by district attorney rattles New York antiquities trade

Will New York district attorney’s new unit clean up the antiquities market—or shut it down?

Case dismissed: France's highest court rules in favour of Guggenheim foundation

The judgment ends a lengthy legal battle between the heirs of Peggy Guggenheim and the US organisation

Lawnews

Rhode Island School of Design denies claim on Picasso by Alphonse Kann heirs

Provenance research commissioned by the university has found that-while the work was once owned by the legendary collector-it was not looted by the Nazis

French court annuls conviction for electrician in possession of stolen Picasso works

Another court will have to uncover how the 271 works were stolen and by whom before being received by Pierre and Danielle Le Guennec