Law, crime and regulation

A suspected art smuggling ring has been busted after Europol and police across 18 countries helped seize 3561 works of art and cultural goods.

A man has been charged in connection with the theft of a painting by Welsh modern artist Ceri Richards from Belsize Park gallery Sylvester Fine Art and will be tried later this month.

Prime Minister Theresa May laid out the government’s Brexit plan this week giving some clarity on how it will leave the European Union.

Sotheby’s is taking legal action to recover its losses over the sale of a ‘fake’ Italian Old Master.

Art dealer Guy Wildenstein has been cleared of tax fraud in a surprise verdict following a criminal trial in Paris.

Police are appealing to the antiques trade to look out for a rose gold Victorian ring that was among a collection of jewellery stolen from a home in Godalming, Surrey.

Antiques trade leaders are hopeful that China’s newly-announced plan to impose a total ban on the ivory trade in the country will exclude antique ivory.

The Advertising Standards Authority has said auctioneers need to be clearer when presenting their commission rates.

The government consultation on the ivory trade will kick off in the new year with plans to begin the crackdown on ivory dated post-1947 from March.

The Advertising Standards Authority has unveiled new guidance for auctioneers following an investigation into the way auction houses display their commission rates.

UK regional auctioneers have defended credit card fees charged to buyers amid pressure from consumer campaign groups to slash charges.

A suspected antique libation cup is among €100,000 worth of goods seized during a raid in Ireland.

A temporary export bar has been placed on a rare Wedgwood vase in the hope £482,500 can be raised to keep it in the UK.

A suspected antiques scammer faced court accused of taking antiques worth more than £650,000 from elderly people.

Dallas based Heritage Auctions is suing a Christie’s-owned firm in the US over alleged data theft.

MP and BADA president Victoria Borwick has given a passionate defence of the antique ivory trade in Parliament, strongly arguing against a total ban.

The earliest and most detailed depiction of Henry VIII’s famed lost Palace of Nonsuch will soon be on public display after The Victoria & Albert Museum saved it for the nation.

The Van Gogh Museum has issued an extraordinary public rebuttal to the release of ‘Vincent van Gogh: The Lost Arles Sketchbook’, criticising the authors for their “excessively easy going attitude… towards questions of authenticity”.

The Los Angeles Superior Court has upheld California’s uncompromising ban on the sale of most ivory objects.