The Institute of Art & Law Celebrates its 30th Anniversary

September 26, 2025

By Juliette Groothaert and Ava Mandele

So far, 2025 has brought many changes to the art law community. From the continued rise of AI to defunding cultural institutions across the globe, from shuttering of institutions to deaths of colleagues and clients, it feels as though little has remained the same in recent years. Yet, amid these shifts, the UK-based Institute of Art & Law (IAL) has not only weathered it all but has also remained at the forefront, equipping scholars and practitioners with essential resources and insights into art and cultural heritage law. This year, the organization celebrates its 30th anniversary.^[1]

The Institute of Art & Law is an educational organization founded in 1995 by a spouse team, lawyer Ruth Redmond-Cooper and the late professor and barrister Norman Palmer. Its mission is to provide analyses of cultural heritage laws.^[2] Under the current leadership of Director Alexander Herman, the Institute continues to uphold and expand this important work.^[3] To mark the anniversary, we interviewed Alexander Herman and Ruth Redmond-Cooper about its early days and enduring impact.

Redmond-Cooper explained that the inspiration for the Institute arose from Palmer’s seminal work on Art Loans in the early 1990s. “We interviewed many museum personnel from art institutes around the globe and the overriding impression was of a world where people from different organizations and countries both knew and trusted each other,” she said. Yet when it came to the legal contracts governing loans of works of art, some museum staff were hesitant. “‘We’re all gentlemen,’ was one response,” Redmond-Cooper recalled, “‘we can sort these things amicably, without involving the law.’ That all changed, of course, with the Portrait of Wally and the Woman in Gold.”

The Institute launched in the summer of 1995 with a full-day seminar featuring eminent speakers who explored different aspects of law relating to art and antiquities. Redmond-Cooper remembers that first seminar as perfectly capturing the Institute’s mission and spirit: “We wanted to bring together experts from law, museums, and academia to tackle practical issues in art and antiquities law. It sets the tone for everything that followed.” Over the next few years, the Institute expanded its offerings to include focused seminars on topics such as treasure law, copyright, authenticity, and more. Courses specifically designed for museum professionals soon followed, including the Diploma in Law and Collections Management and the Diploma in Intellectual Property and Collections as well as tailored distance learning courses and in-house sessions for art and heritage institutions around the world.

A cornerstone of the Institute’s contribution to the field has been its publications. Just one year after its founding, in 1996, the Institute launched its flagship quarterly journal, Art Antiquity and Law.^[4] Edited by Ruth Redmond-Cooper, the periodical is dedicated to providing commentary on legislation, case law, public documents and official initiatives relating to art, antiquities and cultural heritage law.^[5] It offers readers a comprehensive platform to absorb changes in the art and antiquities sphere and make educated arguments about the future of public policy.^[6] The periodical features contributions from professions across the art and antiquities space including lawyers, academics, curators, and archeologists, fostering vital interdisciplinary dialogue.^[7] Its continued impact is demonstrated by its longevity and relevance; the April 2025 issue (Vol XXIX), for instance, includes a timely Case Note by Redmond-Cooper and Emily Gould analyzing WaterRower UK Ltd v Liking Ltd.^[8]

The Institute significantly expanded its publishing reach when the organization began producing books and, over 20 years ago, entered into a partnership with Hart Publishing to release the Art Law Library series, also edited by Redmond-Cooper.^[9] Since then, the Institute has published over 20 books on topics ranging from the UNIDROT Convention to the intricacies of art loans.^[10] A particularly notable achievement came after the passing of Norman Palmer’s in 2016: Redmond-Cooper procured and edited the second edition of his seminal study, Museums and the Holocaust.^[11] This updated edition reflects how substantive contributions to Holocaust-era restitution research have nearly doubled since the first edition in 2000. This growth highlights how much the field has expanded over the past two decades, which the Institute has actively supported.^[12]

Under Herman’s leadership, the Institute has adapted to the rapidly changing landscape of the 21st-century art world. “Though I had been Assistant Director of the IAL since 2015, we were at the tail end of the pandemic when I became Director, so it was indeed a different world,” he explained. The pandemic prompted a major shift to digital delivery, followed by a hybrid approach once in-person teaching resumed. “Online allows us to reach a global audience, but the rapport with students is not quite the same; classroom teaching inspires great engagement in the room, but getting to London can be difficult for people,” Herman noted. Despite these challenges, the Institute continues to provide research, publications, professional training, and conferences to lawyers, academics, museum and gallery professionals, and LL.M. students globally.

The Institute of Art & Law offers a renowned series of courses designed for lawyers and other academic scholars.^[13] The courses are held both online and in-person covering the fundamentals of IP law, artist moral rights, and artists resale rights.^[14] In 2017, the Institute partnered with Queen Mary University of London to offer an Art Business and Law LLM program.^[15] This comprehensive program, covering every major legal area affecting the art market and arts management, includes modules on Art and Governance, Art Transactions, Art, Cultural Values and Ethics, Art and Money, Art and Intellectual Property, and Art Disputes and their Resolution.^[16] In keeping with the times, the Institute has even begun offering courses in digital rights management, AI and NFTs, demonstrating its commitment to providing its members with the resources about the most current issues in the art law world.^[17]

The Institute has also proactively engaged with emerging areas such as NFTs and AI. Herman shared that “NFTs have fallen by the wayside, but the development of AI, especially for the visual arts, will definitely be with us for a long time, creating endless challenges for artists and representative bodies.” The Institute’s Assistant Director, Emily Gould, has become a key voice in these discussions, advising the UK Parliament on NFTs in 2023 and contributing extensively to teaching, blogs, and podcasts on AI in the art world. Herman emphasized that keeping researchers up to date on new developments ensures the Institute can communicate changes quickly and effectively to its members.

Looking ahead, the Institute continues to engage with ongoing challenges through its upcoming events. On 18 September 2025, the Institute will host a seminar in partnership with Pinsent Masons on current issues in provenance, evidence and valuation.^[18] In October 2025, it will offer the next installment of their popular Diploma in Law and Collections Management course, held in collaboration with Boodle Hatfield LLP.^[19]

The Institute’s 30-year history is undeniably marked by significant achievements. From its founding vision of Redmond-Cooper and Palmer to its current work under Herman, the Institute of Art & Law has spent 30 years at the forefront of cultural heritage law. By providing essential publications, cutting-edge education, and a platform for discourse on a diverse range of issues, the Institute remains an indispensable resource. As the sector faces unprecedented change, the Institute’s mission to give knowledge and perspective on the law relating to cultural heritage is more vital than ever. Happy 30th Anniversary, IAL!

About the Authors

Juliette Groothaert is a law student at the University of Bristol, graduating in 2025. She is interested in the evolving relationship between intellectual property law and artistic expression, which she hopes to explore further through an LLM next year. As a summer legal intern, she looks forward to contributing to research in this field while broadening her perspective through work on the Center’s Nazi-Looted Art Database.

Ava Mandele is a legal intern at the Center for Art Law. She holds an undergraduate business degree from the University of Miami (‘22) and is currently in her final year of law school at the University of Iowa College of Law.

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2. About, The Institute of Art and Law, https://ial.uk.com/about/ (last visited Jul. 28, 2025) ↑
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4. Publications, The Institute of Art and Law, https://ial.uk.com/publications/ (last visited Jul. 28, 2025) ↑
5. Art Antiquity and Law – quarterly journal, The Institute of Art and Law, https://ial.uk.com/publications/art-antiquity-and-law/ (last visited Jul. 28, 2025) ↑
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9. Publications, The Institute of Art and Law, https://ial.uk.com/publications/ (last visited Jul. 28, 2025) ↑
10. ​​Books, The Institute of Art and Law, https://ial.uk.com/books/ (last visited Jul. 28, 2025) ↑
11. Museums and the Holocaust [Second Edition], The Institute of Art and Law, https://ial.uk.com/product/mh-2nd/ (last visited Jul. 28, 2025) ↑
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13. Courses, The Institute of Art and Law, https://ial.uk.com/courses/ (last visited Jul. 28, 2025) ↑
14. Diploma in Art Law, The Institute of Art and Law, https://ial.uk.com/courses/diploma-in-art-law/ (last visited Jul. 28, 2025) ↑
15. Art, Business and Law LLM, The Institute of Art and Law, https://ial.uk.com/events/art-business-and-law-llm/ last visited Jul. 28, 2025) ↑
16. Id. ↑
17. Diploma in Intellectual Property and Collections, The Institute of Art and Law, https://ial.uk.com/courses/diploma-in-intellectual-property-and-collections/ (last visited Jul. 28, 2025) ↑
18. Beyond Doubt: Current Issues in Provenance, Evidence and Valuation at Pinsent Masons – 18 September 2025, The Institute of Art and Law, https://ial.uk.com/events/beyond-doubt-18sept2025/ (last visited Jul. 28, 2025) ↑
19. Diploma course for museum professionals, October 2025, The Institute of Art and Law, https://ial.uk.com/events/diploma-course-for-museum-professionals-october-2025/ (last visited Jul. 28, 2025) ↑