Artists & Their Estates

Dealing with artists’ estates has always been an important part of the work that we do and we advise artists from a diverse range of disciplines and backgrounds, who use many different mediums to create their art.

We can help artists decide how best to safeguard and pass on their artistic legacies, to manage taxation and to provide for heirs. We understand the unique issues that arise when dealing with estates and can help navigate what can be a daunting terrain.

We advise on a variety of issues that might affect artists, including copyright and artist’s resale rights and IP. We also help to structure and document the sale and commissioning of artworks, help to protect artists’ rights and can advise on the lending or consignment of works to private galleries and public exhibitions. For example, we have advised an artist on his rights against a gallery that went into administration.

As well as advising ‘traditional’ artists, we are at the forefront of the law in relation to street artists and the ground breaking legal issues that their art creates. For example, we have acted for a charity that successfully recovered a Banksy mural called “Art Buff” which had been cut out of a wall in Folkestone, Kent and subsequently appeared on the art market in Miami. Read all about the case here.