MyHHR News Locations
EN | FR
Practices
People
Careers
Associate Recruiting Working At HHR Available Positions
Culture
About Us Diversity Pro Bono
Practices
People
Careers
Associate Recruiting Working At HHR Available Positions
Culture
About Us Diversity Pro Bono
MyHHR News Locations
EN | FR
Practices
People
News
View All Results >

Art Law

Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP • A New York Limited Liability Partnership

One Battery Park Plaza • New York, New York 10004-1482 • +1 (212) 837-6000

Attorney advertising. Readers are advised that prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. For information regarding the selection process of awards, please visit https://www.hugheshubbard.com/legal-notices-methodologies.

 
Saved To MyHHR

“Art Law”

General Folder

View MyHHR
Share/Print
Email Print
   
Overview
Experience
People
Client Advisories
News

Our Art Law lawyers negotiate, litigate and advise clients on the full range of legal issues that arise concerning works of art, the art market and the art world. We represent artists, individual and institutional collectors, galleries, dealers, auction houses and museums in high-profile, high-stakes matters.

Our lawyers have deep knowledge and wide experience in the specialized law of art and are equipped with the full resources of a top international law firm. In addition to our partners who deal with art-specific areas of the law, we draw on the skills of lawyers in a variety of other areas for our art clients, including alternative dispute resolution (arbitration and mediation), banking and secured transactions, bankruptcy, intellectual property and information technology, tax and trusts and estates.

We have dealt with a wide variety of objects, including drawings, paintings, installations and sculptures by or purportedly by, among others, Basquiat, Chagall, de Kooning, Hopper, Kandinsky, Koons, Lichtenstein, Malevich, Malliol, Matisse, Monet, Motherwell, Picasso, Pollock, Rembrandt, Rothko, van Gogh and Warhol; medieval Judaica; antique furniture; photographs; Hollywood memorabilia; Art Deco and French Crown jewelry; and Native American ceremonial objects.

Among the art-specific issues we regularly advise on or have litigated are: 

  • antitrust law in the art market
  • appraisals
  • art dealers’ duties and rights
  • artists’ estates and foundations
  • auctioneers’ duties and rights
  • authentication committees and catalogues raisonnés
  • authenticity disputes
  • bankruptcy, creditors’ rights and security interests in works of art
  • consignment agreements
  • copyrights in works of art and reproductions of works of art
  • criminal trial and grand jury subpoenas
  • cultural patrimony laws, regulations concerning the import and export of art, and international cultural treaties
  • defamation and product defamation concerning works of art and their provenance
  • donor restrictions on use or display of donated works
  • droit moral and the Visual Artists Rights Act
  • gifts, acquisitions, dispositions and loans
  • international tax treaties affecting cross-border art transactions
  • internet sites concerning art and art sales
  • joint ownership of works of art
  • loans of artwork to museums and exhibition agreements
  • looted and confiscated works of art from the Nazi era
  • lost and stolen works of art
  • misappropriation of artwork and design
  • the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act
  • new media agreements
  • non-fungible tokens (NFTs)
  • private dealer sales
  • private treaties

For more information on our Art Law practice, please contact:

Photo of Daniel H. Weiner

Daniel H. Weiner

Co-Chair

Photo of 		Meaghan   Gragg

Meaghan Gragg

Co-Chair

Among the publicly-disclosed matters we have litigated are these:

  • Angiolillo v Christie's, Inc., Index No. 650871/15 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. Cty. Jul. 9, 2020), in which the Firm successfully represented Christie’s in its defense against claims for its alleged wrongful auction of the 34.65-carat pink gemstone known as the “Princie Diamond."
  • Arthur Taubman Trust v. Knoedler Gallery, LLC, 13 Civ. 3011 (S.D.N.Y. 2013), in which the Firm successfully represented the purchaser of a forged painting purportedly by Clyfford Still, in the largest art fraud in New York history 
  • Chowaiki v. Steinhardt, Index No. 600250/04 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. Cty. Mar. 30, 2005), in which the Firm successfully defended against a claim for tortious interference brought by art dealers alleging that they had been wrongfully excluded from the private sale of a Chagall painting; our client was awarded attorney’s fees because of plaintiffs’ frivolous motion for sanctions
  • Clarke & Shannon v. Nielsen & Bainbridge LLC, 01 Civ. 2336 (S.D.N.Y. 2001), in which the Firm successfully represented two New York artists in a copyright infringement action arising from defendant’s unauthorized commercial use of our clients’ work of abstract expressionist art
  • Galerie Gmurzynska v. Ingrid Hutton, 257 F. Supp. 2d 621 (S.D.N.Y. 2003), aff’d, 355 F.3d 206 (2d Cir. 2004), in which the Firm won dismissal of a Lanham Act claim brought by a prominent dealer of Russian avant-garde art against a former curator of New York’s Museum of Modern Art
  • Grauer v. Deutsch, 01 Civ. 8672 (S.D.N.Y. 2002), in which the Firm successfully represented the co-creator of a series of original photographs in an action for authorship credit and damages under copyright law, the Lanham Act and the Visual Artists Rights Act
  • Hessel v. Christie’s Inc., 399 F. Supp. 2d 506 (S.D.N.Y. 2005), in which the Firm defeated a defaulting buyer’s effort to block a sale of paintings by Koons and Basquiat
  • Jones v. Phillips de Pury & Co., Index No. 60210/11 (Civ. Ct. N.Y. Cty. Aug. 9, 2012), in which the Firm obtained summary judgment dismissing claims that Phillips misappropriated the plaintiff’s artwork and designs
  • Killala Fine Art Ltd. v. Julian Weissman (S.D.N.Y. 2011), in which the Firm successfully obtained reimbursement of the purchase price paid by its client for a forged painting purportedly by Robert Motherwell
  • Krahmer v. Christie’s, 911 A.2d 399 (Del. Ch. 2006), aff’d, 2007 Del. LEXIS 177 (Del. Apr. 25, 2007), in which the Firm defeated a buyer’s fraud claim challenging the authenticity of a painting attributed to Edward Benton Weston
  • Prince Adam-Karol Czartoryski-Borbon v. Donald Turcotte, Index No. 107958/97 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. Cty. 1997), in which the Firm successfully represented a Polish nobleman in an action to recover a painting stolen from Poland by the Nazis in 1942
  • Ravenna v. Christie’s, 289 A.D.2d 15 (1st Dep’t 2001), in which the Firm succeeded in dismissing a complaint for negligent misrepresentation concerning the attribution of a painting by Ludovico Carracci, sold to the Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Reno v. American Civil Liberties Union, 521 U.S. 844 (1997), in which the Firm filed a brief amicus curiae on behalf of a group of 20 artists, including Jenny Holzer and Cindy Sherman, in the United States Supreme Court successfully challenging the constitutionality of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 under the First Amendment
  • Romania v. Christie’s, 01 Civ. 5616 (S.D.N.Y. 2001), in which the Firm gained dismissal of claims related to a Romanian criminal investigation into the alleged illegal export of a multimillion-dollar sculpture by Brancusi
  • Sands & Co. v. Christie’s, Index No. 600268/04 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. Cty. Feb. 28, 2005), in which the court dismissed an art dealer’s claim against our client for breach of contract for the private treaty sale of a Warhol Mickey Mouse arising from an exchange of emails on the ground that the dealer’s reserved right to inspect the painting showed that the dealer had not unconditionally accepted the alleged offer.


While many of the transactional matters on which we provide advice and counsel are not public, among the publicly-disclosed matters we have worked on are these:

  • Represent the Brooklyn Museum, the Miami Art Museum, the Museum of Chinese in America, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the Queens Museum of Art and other arts and cultural institutions in transactional matters, including exhibition agreements, loan agreements, licenses, gifts, acquisitions, dispositions, auction contracts, commercial contracts, new media agreements and joint ventures, and provide counsel on a wide variety of contractual, intellectual property, labor and employment, not-for-profit governance and tax-related matters
  • Counsel private collectors and galleries on acquisitions, dispositions and investments related to works by, among others, Bernini, Bronzino, Giuseppe Cesari, Chagall, Jacques-Louis David, Jan van Eyck, Houdon, Monet, Moroni, Pollock, Rembrandt, Ribera, Rubens and Titian
  • Represent various community-based galleries and performance arts organizations in obtaining tax-exempt status and provide other tax-related advice and general counsel
  • Represent museums in ownership claims concerning Nazi-looted art
  • Counsel auction house clients on various issues relating to contracts, consignments and the conduct of auctions


Recent examples of transactional matters include:

  • Represented AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company in donating the Thomas Hart Benton ten-panel mural, America Today, to the Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Represented the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and Museum in a major global initiative with the BMW Group titled the BMW Guggenheim Lab, an innovative mobile program that brought together leaders in architecture, art, science, design, technology and education
  • Represented Brooklyn Museum in transferring the Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection and related intellectual property rights to the Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Represented the Stichting Van Baaren Museum in its acquisition of a 16th century Dutch triptych recovered in 1945 after having been looted by the Nazi authorities
  • Provided counsel to the Museum of Fine Arts Boston in drafting intellectual property agreements and licenses, setting policies related to intellectual property and executing a social media marketing campaign
  • Negotiated an option agreement with an artist relating to an installation of work on behalf of the Miami Art Museum
  • Negotiated co-venture agreement between a non-profit community-based arts organization and a for-profit entity
Photo of 		Meaghan   Gragg

Meaghan Gragg

Co-Chair

Photo of Daniel H. Weiner

Daniel H. Weiner

Co-Chair

Photo of Derek J.T. Adler

Derek J.T. Adler

Partner

Photo of 		Eric K. Blumenfeld

Eric K. Blumenfeld

Counsel

Photo of Michael E. Salzman

Michael E. Salzman

General Counsel

Photo of Mana Ameri

Mana Ameri

Associate

Photo of Clara Cassan

Clara Cassan

Associate

Photo of 		Jeanine M.  Cryan

Jeanine M. Cryan

Associate

Photo of Samuel Dangremond

Samuel Dangremond

Associate

Photo of Raquel Gonoretzky

Raquel Gonoretzky

Associate

Photo of Sigrid Jernudd

Sigrid Jernudd

Associate

Photo of Hilary McDonnell

Hilary McDonnell

Associate

Photo of 		Hannah   Miller

Hannah Miller

Associate

Photo of Erin Pamukcu

Erin Pamukcu

Associate

Photo of Victor Boccardo

Victor Boccardo

Law Clerk

Photo of Ernesto Lappe

Ernesto Lappe

Surprise Decision in Reif v. Nagy Raises As Many Questions As It Answers
Client Advisories
View News Article
Ninth Circuit Cases Pose the Question: How Far Does the 'First Sale Doctrine' Go?
Client Advisories
View News Article
Art Law Group Launches Blog
Client Advisories |
People
View News Article
Fair Use Filter? Richard Prince Moves to Dismiss Donald Graham’s Lawsuit
Client Advisories
View News Article
Meaghan Gragg and Sigrid Jernudd Author “Looted Art Seizures Show Collectors Should Update Policies” in Law360
Articles & Press |
People
View News Article
Meaghan Gragg Named 2022 'Women Worth Watching' by Profiles in Diversity Journal
News & Events |
Diversity
View News Article
Hughes Hubbard’s Art Practice Again Recognized by Chambers
News & Events
View News Article
HHR Lawyers and Practice Groups Recognized by Chambers
News & Events |
Awards
View News Article
Firm Wins Yet Another Victory for Phillips Auctioneers
News & Events
View News Article
Hughes Hubbard’s Art Practice Again Recognized by Chambers
News & Events |
Awards
View News Article
Hughes Hubbard Delivers Finishing Touch for Phillips Auctioneers
News & Events
View News Article
HHR Lawyers and Practice Groups Recognized by Chambers and The Legal 500
News & Events |
Awards |
People
View News Article
Litigation Wrap: Second Half 2020
News & Events |
Awards |
Pro Bono
View News Article
In WorldECR Magazine: The Art of Compliance: Addressing Anti-Money Laundering and Sanctions Risk Exposure in the Art Market
Articles & Press
View News Article
Litigation Wrap: Fourth Quarter 2019
News & Events |
Awards |
Deals & Matters
View News Article
HHR Wins 11th-Hour Stay of Trial for Christie's in $40M Rare Diamond Case
News & Events
View News Article
Firm Lays Groundwork for Auction of Keith Haring Mural
News & Events |
Deals & Matters
View News Article
Hughes Hubbard Paves Way for Completion of $3.7B Acquisition of Sotheby's
News & Events |
Deals & Matters
View News Article
Who We Are: A Look Inside Our Art Law Practice Group
News & Events
View News Article
​Firm Wins Restraining Order for Phillips Against Deadbeat Art Buyer
News & Events |
Deals & Matters
View News Article
Unchartered Territory: Enforcing an Artist’s Rights in Street Art
Articles & Press
View News Article
Proposed Amendments to Protect New York Art Authenticators Pending While Lawsuits Regarding Authentication Disputes Persist
Articles & Press
View News Article
A Proposed Uniform Statute of Limitations for Nazi-Plundered Art and Cultural Property
Articles & Press
View News Article
Cheffins v. Stewart: Burning Man; Burning Ships
Articles & Press
View News Article
Artist Revealed in $80M Art Fraud at Center of Hughes Hubbard Client Lawsuits
News & Events
View News Article
Hughes Hubbard Sets Stage for Brooklyn Museum Exhibition
News & Events
View News Article
BMW Guggenheim Lab Opens in NYC
News & Events |
Deals & Matters
View News Article
A Look Inside Our Art Law Practice Group
HHR Art Law Blog
Hughes Hubbard’s Art Practice Again Recognized by Chambers View News Article
Meaghan Gragg and Sigrid Jernudd Author “Looted Art Seizures Show Collectors Should Update Policies” in Law360 View News Article
Related Areas of Focus
Arbitration
Banking & Financial Services
Complex Business Disputes
Corporate
Tax
Private Client Services

Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP

Copyright 2023


Legal Notices & Methodologies Attorney Advertising Sitemap
  • Locations
  • New York City
  • Kansas City
  • Los Angeles
  • Miami
  • Paris
  • Rio de Janeiro*
  • Tokyo
  • Washington, D.C.

*In cooperation with Saud Advogados

Privacy Policies and Notices

Careers
Associate Recruiting Working At HHR Available Positions
Culture
About Us Diversity Pro Bono
Contact