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The expansion of the global art market and the growth of art prices have brought a new urgency to understanding the national and international legal and regulatory regimes that govern the art world. Contracts, taxation, commercial codes, estate planning, insurance, real estate, and myriad other areas of law play an ever larger role in how the law is actually practiced in the context of art. Inevitably, attorneys as well as a broad spectrum of art professionals, from gallery owners and auctioneers to museum curators and administrators, will be confronted with legal issues that require specialized knowledge and expertise when navigating the art world.

In January 2015 Sotheby’s Institute of Art, in collaboration with Claremont Graduate University, the Getty Leadership Institute, and California Lawyers for the Arts, launched an intensive three-day course, coupled with a two-day conference, on the practice of law in the international art world.

Both the course and the conference were designed primarily for practicing attorneys but were open to art world professionals and enthusiasts who wished to enhance their understanding of the regulatory and legal context of art and its markets.

Art Law Education:

This intensive education program was specifically designed for lawyers and art-world professionals with legal experience who were serious about providing high quality, informed representation for clients with art world matters. The program provided practitioners with the practical knowledge and working tools to effectively represent clients in the art world and to build a strong art law practice.

Art Law Conference:

This two-day conference gathered together top attorneys and professionals to engage and debate the way that the law is actually encountered and practiced in the international art world.
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rom estate planning and tax guidance to intellectual property to critical decision-making skills, the conference offered fresh insight into the areas of legal and business practice from top professionals with years of experience working with art world clients at the highest levels.

Details on future Art Law Education and Conference programs will be announced later in the year.