Worldwide Calendar

“Art Markets without Borders – artists, networks, demand, value” is a conference convened by the Art Market Studies Research Project at the University of Melbourne. It will consider the past, present and future dynamics of world art markets. Specifically, this conference wishes to address the following research questions:

– What is the interrelationship between critical and commercial value? 

– Why does provenance continue to play such a major role in creating 
confidence within the art market? 

– To what extent should government and industry regulation and oversight 
be imposed on the natural forces of a thriving and dynamic market? 

– How do informed agents interact together to create influence in the 
market? 

More information on the conference and paper proposals here....

Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts

This 90-minute webinar will summarize the legal issues and risks associated with expanding your online presence as an independent artist or arts organization. Topics will include privacy and data security issues, website disclaimers and disclosures, permissions and clearances for online content, posting user-generated content, and at the end, special considerations for not-for-profit entities related to legal compliance and fiduciary duties. A Q&A period will follow each topic in the presentation.

More information and registration.

This event is free. 

Artists and cultural workers are currently facing many uncertainties as a result of COVID-19. Many are navigating legal issues surrounding human resources, landlord/tenant negotiations, commercial tenancy, artist contracts, force majeure clauses, and more.

Lawyer Martha Rans, Legal Director of the Artists' Legal Outreach in Vancouver will address current pressing legal issues of importance to the arts and cultural sector, covering discussion points driven by the questions that you provide in the online registration form. This webinar is presented by the Kickstart Disability Arts & Culture in partnership with Artist' Legal Outreach (ALO).

More information and registration. 

This event is free. 

Artist Naima Lowe has partnered with author/lawyer Sarah Lippek to offer a livestream workshop on legal considerations for artists, authors, performers and other creative professionals.

During this 90 minute session they will discuss their own experiences navigating legal systems, discuss common issues in art law, and offer guidance on how to actually find and hire the right lawyer. They will take some time for questions and share links to organizations and information that can help you with your legal concerns.

More information and registration.

The fifth workshop will address the role of legislation and legal regulators in the art market. The relationship between law and art can be traced back to the Middle Ages when the workshop and apprenticeship rules and guild statutes determined artists’ and other agents’ working tasks, regulating production, ensuring quality and enabling fair marketing and dissemination. Since the early modern period, estate law has defined (and limited) inheritance and ownership of artworks. While contracts with clients controlled the quality, realisation, delivering and on-time payment of private and collective artistic commissions, contracts between artists determined standards of cooperation. 

More information, registration, and call for papers...

In response to the current Covid 19 crisis, the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) and Pro Bono Steering Committee of New York State Bar Association’s Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Section (EASL) will collaborate to offer a series of free online workshops to support creative communities. Elissa D. Hecker, Co-Chair and creator of EASL’s Pro Bono Committee, will present “Contracts and Coronavirus” presented by on Thursday, June 4, 2020, from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM EST.

The Coronavirus has interrupted business as usual. This webinar focuses on the elements of drafting a strong contract and options parties may have if they cannot perform contractual obligations due to the pandemic.

More information and registration available here. 

This event is free. 

The fifth workshop will address the role of legislation and legal regulators in the art market. The relationship between law and art can be traced back to the Middle Ages when the workshop and apprenticeship rules and guild statutes determined artists’ and other agents’ working tasks, regulating production, ensuring quality and enabling fair marketing and dissemination. Since the early modern period, estate law has defined (and limited) inheritance and ownership of artworks. While contracts with clients controlled the quality, realisation, delivering and on-time payment of private and collective artistic commissions, contracts between artists determined standards of cooperation. 

More information, registration, and call for papers...

Panel Discussion Moderated by Brian Droitcour

What is new media art? New media art is an umbrella term used to define artwork that makes use of video, film, digital art, computer art, computer graphics, computer animation, virtual art, internet art, interactive art technologies, and even computer robotics. It spans across practices ranging from conceptual and virtual art to performances and installations.

Current practices and critical dialogue relating to pressing issues surrounding preserving and exhibiting new media art will be uncovered by Anita Zabludowicz, Anne and Michael Spalter, and Sabine Himmelsbach.

More information and registration. 

Session 3: Preserving Your Legacy 

Topics covered: privacy and publicity releases, how to select a business entity, plan estate & archives.

Copyright law is something that affects every photographer, not just those who are in business making money from their images. Copyright and intellectual property law are the foundations of the photography industry and all other creative businesses. So, why not educate yourself and know your rights? Join us May 26th, June 2nd & June 9th, as renowned art lawyer Barbara Hoffman unravels the significance of copyright.

More information and registration. 

This event is free.

Panel Discussion

Virtual reality has been the next new thing for six years and counting. Clunky headsets, a dearth of content, and lack of consumer interest have caused virtual reality to stall. Now, with social distancing, the technology is experiencing something of a renaissance. Virtual reality is democratizing possibilities for people to reach beyond traditional structure and offers an exciting range of experiences that helps tackle physical isolation. Could virtual reality become our “ultimate empathy machine” in 2020?

Anita Zabludowicz, who opened 360, the first dedicated virtual reality viewing room in an arts space in the UK back in 2018 will speak alongside Masha and Jens Faurschou, Co-Founders Khora Contemporary on one of their most provocative performances and multi-media collaborations with one of the most influential and ground-breaking American artist, Paul McCarthy- C.S.S.C Coach Stage Stage Coach VR experiment Mary and Eve. They will explore the uphill battle of virtual reality and debate if 2020 will usher in a golden age for virtual reality. 

More information and registration. 

Panel Discussion

Joel Kremer, Partner Moyosa Media and Co-Founder The Kremer Collection and; Dominique and Sylvain Levy, Co-Founders dslcollection, representing the world’s only two virtual reality private museums will come together to discuss how virtual reality differs from the commonly termed ‘virtual landscapes’ that could be in 2D or 3D augmented reality. They will also share the power of virtual reality in creating a fully immersive experience that helps empower arts education across the globe.

More information and registration. 

Are you a painter, musician or any kind of creative entrepreneur? Do you have legal questions or concerns? Make an appointment for the Art Law Clinic on June 13th, 2020, 1-4pm! 

More information and registration.

This event is free. 

Panel Discussion Moderated by Marianne Magnin

The Art Identification Standard (AIS) is a not-for-profit initiative which was founded to develop a universal framework of industry-wide standards. This framework can be used to uniquely identify artworks and streamline the underlying matter of provenance, enhancing the way artworks are managed.

AIS’ aims to promote the understanding and functionalities of cutting-edge technology applied to the tracing, identification and protection of art. These industry-wide protocols can also help digital integration and collaboration across companies and non-profit initiatives in the sector.

The members of AIS which includes Artory, MoCDA, Arteia, Vastari, and Articheck will come together to discuss how they plan to leverage blockchain technologies to provide greater trust for the art market. By embedding artwork identification into a ledger that cannot be altered, AIS provides a solution for curators, institutions, artists, technology companies and art dealers where a common standard would be helpful and/or necessary.

More information and registration. 

TOPICS INCLUDE:

• Due diligence in art transactions
• Anti-money laundering regulations
• Authentication rules in the art market and at court
• Art experts' liability - recent cases
• Resolving art-related disputes: court litigation, arbitration or mediation - what mechanisms are effective?

More information and registration...

The London Art Salon 

Contemporary art is exciting, ever changing, and news making, but often baffling and snobby, and sometimes even visually unpleasant. How did art become more about the idea and less about the skill? How did spray paint on a public building go from vandalism to auction house centerpiece? And when is appropriation honoring vs. stealing?

Grab a glass of wine if you are on Europe time, or a coffee if in the USA and join the London Art Salon for our Zoom lecture with Dr Marie-Anne Mancio.

More information and registration.

TOPICS INCLUDE:

• Due diligence in art transactions
• Anti-money laundering regulations
• Authentication rules in the art market and at court
• Art experts' liability - recent cases
• Resolving art-related disputes: court litigation, arbitration or mediation - what mechanisms are effective?

More information and registration...

Joseph Lubin, Founder of ConsenSys and Co-Founder of Ethereum, will speak about how Ethereum 2.0 will further impact the art market by bringing about a new art economy in an exclusive interview.

More information and registration.

Gauthier Zuppinger, Co-Founder of NonFungible.com, will present the newly-released Art and Blockchain Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT) Report that features unique insights from 2018 to 2019.

More information and registration. 

Fireside Chat Moderated by Jason Bailey

This talk explores Cryptovoxels; an open, sandbox-like 3D VR realm that draws inspiration from Minecraft and uses voxels to demonstrate the virtual architecture of each respective world. Its virtual land is based on the Ethereum blockchain and can be purchased using ETH. The platform works through NFTs that users can use to sell their parcels and collectibles for almost any cryptocurrency supported by online auction houses and NFT brokers, such as OpenSea.

This talk will also touch on Mintbase, another NFT marketplace that enables users to create smart-contracts, mint NFTs, instantly register NFTs on OpenSea.io, and manage their digital assets in one place from Mintbase’s digital HQ in Cryptovoxels metaverse.

More information and registration.

The summer school is organized by the Art-Law Centre and the UNESCO Chair in the International Law of the Protection of Cultural Heritage of the University of Geneva, in collaboration with the University of Miami School of Law.

The summer school aims to develop the students’ awareness and general understanding of the main substantive themes of international cultural heritage law, namely: the trade in cultural objects; the restitution of stolen or looted artworks; the protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict; and the protection of the built heritage from natural and human-induced disasters.

The lecturers will examine the legal instruments adopted by UNESCO and other international organisations, such as the ‘Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict’, the ‘Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property’, and the ‘Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects’.

In order to offer an up-to-date glance at international cultural heritage law, the lecturers will describe its complex relationship with other fields of law – namely general international law and human rights law – and with the issue of dispute settlement. Moreover, the lecturers will provide an overview of the different ideological positions of the relevant stakeholders and of the risks and liabilities in the art trade.

More information and registration...

Adam Lindemann - influential collector and art dealer known for his longstanding commitment to investigating soaring trends in blockchain and technology, and organizer of the high profile The Art of Blockchains conference during Art Basel Miami in 2018 will be joined by Christina Steinbrecher, Founder of blockchain.art- a platform launching this autumn and Johann Koenig, Europe’s Top 10 most respected art dealers to discuss the promises and pitfalls of blockchain, the art world’s current appetite for crypto and the future potential of the blue-chip commercial art world on the blockchain.

More information and registration. 

The summer school is organized by the Art-Law Centre and the UNESCO Chair in the International Law of the Protection of Cultural Heritage of the University of Geneva, in collaboration with the University of Miami School of Law.

The summer school aims to develop the students’ awareness and general understanding of the main substantive themes of international cultural heritage law, namely: the trade in cultural objects; the restitution of stolen or looted artworks; the protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict; and the protection of the built heritage from natural and human-induced disasters.

The lecturers will examine the legal instruments adopted by UNESCO and other international organisations, such as the ‘Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict’, the ‘Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property’, and the ‘Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects’.

In order to offer an up-to-date glance at international cultural heritage law, the lecturers will describe its complex relationship with other fields of law – namely general international law and human rights law – and with the issue of dispute settlement. Moreover, the lecturers will provide an overview of the different ideological positions of the relevant stakeholders and of the risks and liabilities in the art trade.

More information and registration...

The summer school is organized by the Art-Law Centre and the UNESCO Chair in the International Law of the Protection of Cultural Heritage of the University of Geneva, in collaboration with the University of Miami School of Law.

The summer school aims to develop the students’ awareness and general understanding of the main substantive themes of international cultural heritage law, namely: the trade in cultural objects; the restitution of stolen or looted artworks; the protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict; and the protection of the built heritage from natural and human-induced disasters.

The lecturers will examine the legal instruments adopted by UNESCO and other international organisations, such as the ‘Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict’, the ‘Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property’, and the ‘Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects’.

In order to offer an up-to-date glance at international cultural heritage law, the lecturers will describe its complex relationship with other fields of law – namely general international law and human rights law – and with the issue of dispute settlement. Moreover, the lecturers will provide an overview of the different ideological positions of the relevant stakeholders and of the risks and liabilities in the art trade.

More information and registration...

The summer school is organized by the Art-Law Centre and the UNESCO Chair in the International Law of the Protection of Cultural Heritage of the University of Geneva, in collaboration with the University of Miami School of Law.

The summer school aims to develop the students’ awareness and general understanding of the main substantive themes of international cultural heritage law, namely: the trade in cultural objects; the restitution of stolen or looted artworks; the protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict; and the protection of the built heritage from natural and human-induced disasters.

The lecturers will examine the legal instruments adopted by UNESCO and other international organisations, such as the ‘Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict’, the ‘Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property’, and the ‘Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects’.

In order to offer an up-to-date glance at international cultural heritage law, the lecturers will describe its complex relationship with other fields of law – namely general international law and human rights law – and with the issue of dispute settlement. Moreover, the lecturers will provide an overview of the different ideological positions of the relevant stakeholders and of the risks and liabilities in the art trade.

More information and registration...

The summer school is organized by the Art-Law Centre and the UNESCO Chair in the International Law of the Protection of Cultural Heritage of the University of Geneva, in collaboration with the University of Miami School of Law.

The summer school aims to develop the students’ awareness and general understanding of the main substantive themes of international cultural heritage law, namely: the trade in cultural objects; the restitution of stolen or looted artworks; the protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict; and the protection of the built heritage from natural and human-induced disasters.

The lecturers will examine the legal instruments adopted by UNESCO and other international organisations, such as the ‘Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict’, the ‘Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property’, and the ‘Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects’.

In order to offer an up-to-date glance at international cultural heritage law, the lecturers will describe its complex relationship with other fields of law – namely general international law and human rights law – and with the issue of dispute settlement. Moreover, the lecturers will provide an overview of the different ideological positions of the relevant stakeholders and of the risks and liabilities in the art trade.

More information and registration...

Panel Discussion

As of May 2019, the Whitney Museum of American Art's new media portal launched Public Key/ Private Key - a project that addresses art ownership and the future of patronage by distributing donor credits through Monegraph, a blockchain-powered artwork title registry and marketplace launched by Kevin McCoy in 2014.

Multimedia artists Jennifer and Kevin McCoy will be joined by Aaron Wright, Founder of OpenLaw and Christiane Paul, Adjunct Curator of New Media Arts at the Whitney Museum of American Art to discuss this exciting initiative that combines an essay contest, a mysterious film, and blockchain technology as an attempt to shift the debate about arts patronage.

More information and registration. 

The summer school is organized by the Art-Law Centre and the UNESCO Chair in the International Law of the Protection of Cultural Heritage of the University of Geneva, in collaboration with the University of Miami School of Law.

The summer school aims to develop the students’ awareness and general understanding of the main substantive themes of international cultural heritage law, namely: the trade in cultural objects; the restitution of stolen or looted artworks; the protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict; and the protection of the built heritage from natural and human-induced disasters.

The lecturers will examine the legal instruments adopted by UNESCO and other international organisations, such as the ‘Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict’, the ‘Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property’, and the ‘Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects’.

In order to offer an up-to-date glance at international cultural heritage law, the lecturers will describe its complex relationship with other fields of law – namely general international law and human rights law – and with the issue of dispute settlement. Moreover, the lecturers will provide an overview of the different ideological positions of the relevant stakeholders and of the risks and liabilities in the art trade.

More information and registration...

The summer school is organized by the Art-Law Centre and the UNESCO Chair in the International Law of the Protection of Cultural Heritage of the University of Geneva, in collaboration with the University of Miami School of Law.

The summer school aims to develop the students’ awareness and general understanding of the main substantive themes of international cultural heritage law, namely: the trade in cultural objects; the restitution of stolen or looted artworks; the protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict; and the protection of the built heritage from natural and human-induced disasters.

The lecturers will examine the legal instruments adopted by UNESCO and other international organisations, such as the ‘Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict’, the ‘Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property’, and the ‘Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects’.

In order to offer an up-to-date glance at international cultural heritage law, the lecturers will describe its complex relationship with other fields of law – namely general international law and human rights law – and with the issue of dispute settlement. Moreover, the lecturers will provide an overview of the different ideological positions of the relevant stakeholders and of the risks and liabilities in the art trade.

More information and registration...

The summer school is organized by the Art-Law Centre and the UNESCO Chair in the International Law of the Protection of Cultural Heritage of the University of Geneva, in collaboration with the University of Miami School of Law.

The summer school aims to develop the students’ awareness and general understanding of the main substantive themes of international cultural heritage law, namely: the trade in cultural objects; the restitution of stolen or looted artworks; the protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict; and the protection of the built heritage from natural and human-induced disasters.

The lecturers will examine the legal instruments adopted by UNESCO and other international organisations, such as the ‘Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict’, the ‘Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property’, and the ‘Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects’.

In order to offer an up-to-date glance at international cultural heritage law, the lecturers will describe its complex relationship with other fields of law – namely general international law and human rights law – and with the issue of dispute settlement. Moreover, the lecturers will provide an overview of the different ideological positions of the relevant stakeholders and of the risks and liabilities in the art trade.

More information and registration...

Panel Discussion

Although the online space has become an effective way to reach out to collectors, galleries, and also the art world at large, many have argued that online exhibitions in their current state leave a lot more to be desired. This has led to many questioning how art can best be curated and presented to ensure that the online viewing experience goes above and beyond what collectors are used to, cultivating a pleasurable art-viewing experience and paving the way for a new kind of art ecosystem.

With digitization and the online space offering the art sector a means to connect and grow during the COVID-19 pandemic, it begs the question; what else does the art world need to do to ensure this appetite for art digitization is successful, sustainable, and accessible moving forward?

More information and registration. 

The summer school is organized by the Art-Law Centre and the UNESCO Chair in the International Law of the Protection of Cultural Heritage of the University of Geneva, in collaboration with the University of Miami School of Law.

The summer school aims to develop the students’ awareness and general understanding of the main substantive themes of international cultural heritage law, namely: the trade in cultural objects; the restitution of stolen or looted artworks; the protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict; and the protection of the built heritage from natural and human-induced disasters.

The lecturers will examine the legal instruments adopted by UNESCO and other international organisations, such as the ‘Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict’, the ‘Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property’, and the ‘Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects’.

In order to offer an up-to-date glance at international cultural heritage law, the lecturers will describe its complex relationship with other fields of law – namely general international law and human rights law – and with the issue of dispute settlement. Moreover, the lecturers will provide an overview of the different ideological positions of the relevant stakeholders and of the risks and liabilities in the art trade.

More information and registration...