ABC’s of Art Law: C is for Consignment

About this Event

Join the Center for Art Law for an exploration into the world of consignment agreements in the art industry. This session delver into the pivotal role these agreements play for artists, shedding light on the disparities between emerging and established artists. Our speakers, Anne-Laure Alléhaut, Counsel at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler, Sherri Cohen, Global Head of Fiduciary Client Group at Sotheby’s and Danielle Juliao, curator and gallerist addressed the challenges artists encounter and the nuances of negotiating terms within consignment agreements.

The session explored how consignment agreements differ for artists at various stages of their careers and the challenges and opportunities that emerging and established artists face in negotiating and navigating these agreements. Our speakers also shed light on the trajectory of artists as they transition from the primary market to the secondary market and the dual role of consignment agreements in both galleries and auction houses.

By the end of this event, participants will be able to understand how these agreements shape the dynamics between artists, galleries, and auction houses, influencing the broader art market and gain insights into the laws and practicalities surrounding consignment agreements.

About the Speakers

Anne-Laure Alléhaut

Anne-Laure Alléhaut is Counsel at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP’s Art and Museum Law practice. Anne-Laure started her career at Skadden Arps in M&A before she joined Sotheby’s legal transactional team as a Senior Vice President. Anne-Laure negotiated many of the auction house’s most complex and high value transactions while also overseeing Sotheby’s advisory, appraisal and valuation departments.

Sherri Cohen

Sherri Cohen joined Sotheby’s in 2023 as the Global Head of Fiduciary Client Group. She is responsible for leading the New York and London teams, working in close collaboration with the entire Sotheby’s Global Business Development team, Specialist Departments, and Chairmen to assist lawyers, bankers, family offices, and fiduciaries in planning for the lifecycle of their clients’ art collections through Sotheby’s broad range of services.

Sherri is dual-qualified attorney, in New York as well as a Solicitor in the United Kingdom. Prior to joining Sotheby’s, Sherri was Head of Business Development for North America at Bonhams. During her tenure with Bonhams, she served as the firm’s principal deal maker for major estate and single owner collections, and brought some of the most significant collections to Bonhams salerooms including Dr. Hirose’s Kusama Collection and the L.D.” Brink” Brinkman Collection.

Joseph Gergel

Joseph Gergel is a curator and director of kó, an art gallery based in, Lagos, Nigeria, that is dedicated to promoting modern and contemporary art in Africa and the Diaspora. Gergel has worked with non-profit art organizations, galleries, and auction houses, including the African Artists’ Foundation, the LagosPhoto Festival, Arthouse Contemporary, and Art Twenty One. He served as the founding director of the Arthouse Foundation’s Artist Residency program in Lagos from 2015-2020, and developed public programs including YECA (Youth Empowerment Through the Arts), supported by the Ford Foundation, and Art Base Africa, supported by the Prince Claus Fund. He is also the co-founder of ARTOJA, an online marketplace for contemporary African art. In 2020, he guest-curated the exhibition Namsa Leuba: Crossed Looks at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art in Charleston, South Carolina, with an accompanying publication published by Damiani Press. He has organized exhibitions of contemporary artists in Lagos, London, Paris, New York, Chicago, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Miami, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Marrakesh, and has contributed to international publications of contemporary art including The New Yorker, Aperture, Foam, DIS Magazine, and Art Africa. Gergel is currently a J.D. candidate at Fordham University School of Law, focusing on art law and intellectual property.

Handouts and Reading Material

Read the handouts HERE.

Recording of the Lecture

Watch the recording HERE.

If you are an attorney seeking CLE credit in NY for this event you must purchase a legal professional ticket. THIS PROGRAM IS PENDING CLE ACCREDITATION.

CLE:

This course or program is pending approval in accordance with the requirements of the New York State Continuing Legal Education Board for a maximum of 1 credit hour in Professional Practice, acceptable for transitional credit for established and newly admitted attorneys.