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.


Knoedler art fraudster Glafira Rosales ordered to pay $81m to victims

13 July 2017

Glafira Rosales, the Long Island art dealer who in 2013 pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion in the Knoedler art forgery case, has been ordered to pay $81m to victims of the fraud.

Antiques dealer accused of receiving and selling stolen items worth thousands of pounds

13 July 2017

A dealer is on trial in Newport Crown Court charged with 11 counts of fraud and three of handling stolen goods.

Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson says government will introduce an “all-out ban” on ivory in the UK

12 July 2017

The prospect of a total ban on the trade in ivory re-emerged this week after foreign secretary Boris Johnson said the government has “a commitment to an all-out ban on the sale of ivory in this country, and that is what we intend to pursue”.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong ivory ban bill makes exceptions for antique objects

10 July 2017

Hong Kong’s bill to ban the domestic ivory trade does allow for the trade in antiques containing ivory, it has emerged.

cuneiform tablets

US retailer fined after seizure of illegally imported cultural property

10 July 2017

A large high street chain in the US has been fined $3m in connection with the purchase and importing of a large number of ancient Iraqi artefacts.

Metropolitan Police’s art crime unit closed due to Grenfell pressures

10 July 2017

The Metropolitan Police’s Art and Antiques Unit is to temporarily close due to “unprecedented” demand within the force.

De Pury ‘cut out of gentleman’s agreement’

10 July 2017

A claim by former auctioneer turned art-advisor Simon de Pury that he is owed $10m for facilitating the sale of a work by Paul Gauguin was heard before the High Court in London last week.

Jade 2

Stolen Chinese jades make 10 times their estimates years later

08 July 2017

Four Chinese jade vessels have sold for 10 times their estimate after being stolen more than 12 years ago.

Masterpiece

Police investigating £3m jewellery theft from art fair Masterpiece London

07 July 2017

The Metropolitan Police are investigating claims of a £3m theft from art fair Masterpiece London.

Olympia

Anti-ivory trade campaign group Action for Elephants descends on Olympia fair

03 July 2017

An action group that campaigns for the protection of elephants staged a protest against the trade in antique ivory outside Art & Antiques Fair Olympia, on Saturday afternoon (July 1).

Schmadribach Waterfall

Government issues export bar for 18th century waterfall drawing in hope of finding UK buyer

03 July 2017

The department of culture, media and sport has issued an export bar on an 18th century drawing of Schmadribach Waterfall by Austrian Romantic artist Joseph Anton Koch (1768-1839) and launched a search for a UK buyer to match the asking price of £68,750.

Stolen watches

Police call on antiques trade to help find stolen jewellery from Shropshire antique centre

28 June 2017

Police are appealing to the trade to help locate jewellery stolen in Shropshire.

Damien Hirst 2298NEDIa 26-06-17.jpg

Three men charged in New York over fake Damien Hirst artworks sold to a “multitude of buyers” on eBay

26 June 2017

Three men have been charged in a New York court in connection with a $400,000 scam to sell fake artworks by Damien Hirst.

Shop owners warned over car parts scam

26 June 2017

London art and antiques galleries have been alerted to a scam that has seen at least four dealers preyed on by tricksters.

Olympia

Anti-ivory trade campaign group Action for Elephants plans protest at Olympia fair

24 June 2017

An action group that campaigns against modern ivory poaching is to stage a protest against the trade in antique ivory at the Art and Antiques Fair, Olympia, on 1 July.

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What you need to know about the ‘moral rights’ of an artist in law

19 June 2017

An artist has moral rights in his or her work that cannot be ignored, as a recent case in France proved...

Parmigianino

Getty museum gets go-ahead to export £24.5m Parmigianino painting after no UK buyer found

15 June 2017

The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles will be able to take a Parmigianino oil painting to the US after no UK buyer could be found to match the £24.5m price tag.

Michael Gove

Gove 'may consider a pledge for total ivory ban'

13 June 2017

Michael Gove MP has said he would reconsider introducing a pledge for a total ivory ban.

Parliament

UK faces hung parliament after a “tumultuous” election night

09 June 2017

The final votes are still being counted but the UK is facing a hung parliament. The Conservatives are the largest party but have no clear majority.

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Finder disputes Treasure Valuation Committee's valuation of Anglo-Saxon treasure

05 June 2017

The valuation of an Anglo- Saxon jewellery hoard discovered in Yorkshire is being disputed by the finder.

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