Law, crime and regulation

Legal cases, stolen art, regulation and tax issues remain important part of the art and antiques sector.

This category ranges from the levy of the Artist’s Resale Right to controversies over fakes and forgeries.


Patrick Mestdagh

CINOA issues rallying cry for the art trade to unite

19 June 2025

The new president of CINOA has issued a call for unity across the cultural sector in response to “increasingly restrictive legislation affecting the global art and antiques trade”.

An 18th century carved oak chair

Plea for help to trace stolen 18th century oak chair from parish church

19 June 2025

An 18th century carved oak chair has been stolen from a Buckinghamshire church.

Oghenochuko Ojiri

‘Keep calm’ say experts as dealer Ojiri goes to jail

16 June 2025

The art and antiques trade has been urged to keep up with regulations but “not to panic” after the imprisonment of a dealer for violating anti-money laundering legislation.

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A lawyer writes: anti-money laundering legislation and the Ojiri case

16 June 2025

Milton Silverman casts his expert eye on the Ojiri case and what it means

Château de Versailles.

Prison terms and fines handed down in Versailles fake furniture scandal

11 June 2025

Two furniture experts have been fined and sentenced following a long-running French fake furniture scandal.

Oghenochuko Ojiri

London art dealer jailed for reporting failure

10 June 2025

A London art dealer has been jailed for failing to report art sales to a sanctioned individual believed to be a terrorist financier.

Barbara Hepworth sculpture

Plea to save Hepworth sculpture for the nation

05 June 2025

Museum and Art Fund launch fundraising to save Barbara Hepworth sculpture

Anglo-Saxon gold and garnet panel

'Outstanding' gold artefact saved for the nation after crowdfunding campaign

04 June 2025

A rare Anglo-Saxon gold and garnet panel bought at a Spink auction last year and blocked from export will stay in the UK after a successful crowdfunding campaign by a local history trust.

ATG letter: This anomaly could save you paying VAT on some imports

02 June 2025

Having been a senior EEC official specialising in customs matters before becoming an antiques dealer, I am well versed in customs charges relating to the import of antiques.

Speedway

Artwork recovered after theft 30 years ago in Canada

28 May 2025

A 1930s linocut by British-Canadian artist Sybil Andrews has been recovered after being stolen more than 30 years ago.

ATG Lawyer Writes V3 JPG

A lawyer writes: Cultural goods rules – information frustration

26 May 2025

You’ve got your head around the changes, but how can you nail down the detail?

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EU rules on cultural goods add a whole new world of complication

26 May 2025

New regulations on importing cultural goods are looming and could mean significant challenges for the trade

Moche gilded copper mask

Peruvian artefacts repatriated following US investigation into looting and trafficking

20 May 2025

A group of eight antiquities have been returned to Peru following an intervention by the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L Bragg Jr.

Botticelli's Virgin

UK buyer sought for £10m Botticelli Virgin and Child

13 May 2025

A temporary export bar has been placed on a painting of the Virgin Mary by Sandro Botticelli valued at £10.2m.

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Archives: the ‘unglamorous pool’ that can have deep value to research

12 May 2025

How can the UK assess and secure if necessary the papers that may shed light on the country’s history? Mark Stevens, county archivist at Royal Berkshire Archives, gives us an expert’s view

Piprahwa Gems

Sotheby’s halts sale of Piprahwa Gems after protest from Indian government

07 May 2025

Following opposition from the Indian state, Sotheby's took the 11th hour decision to cancel a Hong Kong auction of a collection of relics linked to the historical Buddha.

Donald Trump

Trump's tariffs: trade seeks clarity on antiques exemptions as price of gold soars

14 April 2025

Dealers and collectors are still seeking clarity on whether the US ‘Liberation Day’ trade tariffs will apply to antiques.

Trade urged to be alert over financial sanctions reporting

14 April 2025

Art market businesses in the UK will shortly become subject to reporting requirements for financial sanctions.

Silver Trinket Box National Trust

Silver box stolen from National Trust property

08 April 2025

The box was reported missing from Hanbury Hall in Worcestershire on March 23

Burglar jailed for 30 months after Hansons break-in

31 March 2025

A man who broke into Derbyshire auction house Hansons and stole over £20,000 worth of items has been jailed.

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