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A Step Back from the Brink—Agnes Martin Authentication Board Prevails in Court

Posted by Nicholas O'Donnell on June 4, 2018 at 3:13 PM

Please note, a version of this article appears in the June issue of Apollo Magazine, to which I occasionally contribute.  

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Topics: Andy Warhol Foundation, Keith Haring Foundation, Mayor Gallery Ltd, United Kingdom, Agnes Martin Catalogue Raisonné, AMCR, Authentication, Abstract Expressionist, Calder Foundation, Day & Night, The Invisible

Analysis and Views Develop on New York Art Authentication Protection Bill

Posted by Nicholas O'Donnell on June 26, 2014 at 4:34 AM

As we reported back in February, the State Assembly and Senate are considering parallel versions of an amendment to the New York Arts & Cultural Affairs Law that would enhance protections for art authenticators by raising the burden of proof and providing for prevailing-party attorneys’ fees. Our view was, and remains, that the law would be an improvement on the status quo because it would protect the player that often has the least upside in an authentication but who may find herself the target of the disappointed party’s wrath.

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Topics: Donn Zaretsky, Andy Warhol Foundation, Art in America, Daniel Grant, New York State Assembly, authentication, Tracy Zwick, American Rule, Bill No. A09016, Art Law Day, New York Observer, clear and convincing evidence, Wolfgang Beltracchi, Art Law Committee, Chagall Committee, Appraisers Association of America, Keith Haring Foundation, New York Arts and Cultural Affairs Law, New York City Bar Association, authenticator, M. Knoedler & Co., Chagall, Senate Bill No. S06794

New York Authentication Protection Bill Passes Senate Committee

Posted by Nicholas O'Donnell on May 1, 2014 at 10:08 AM

The New York Senate Standing Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation has unanimously endorsed Senate Bill No. S06794. The Committee was no doubt moved by yesterday’s sought-after Art Law Report endorsement. . . .

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Topics: Andy Warhol Foundation, New York State Assembly, authentication, Bill No. A09016, clear and convincing evidence, Appraisal, Wolfgang Beltracchi, Art Law Committee, Keith Haring Foundation, New York Arts and Cultural Affairs Law, New York City Bar Association, authenticator, M. Knoedler & Co., Senate Bill No. S06794

Proposed Amendment to New York Arts and Cultural Affairs Law Would Protect Authenticators

Posted by Nicholas O'Donnell on April 30, 2014 at 6:03 AM

It was first reported at the Appraisers Association of America’s Art Law Day in November, 2013 that the New York City Bar Association’s Art Law Committee had drafted a proposed revision to New York’s Art and Cultural Affairs Law to address the rights of authenticators. That proposal, publicized a month later, has now become an actual bill introduced in the New York State Assembly, as Senate Bill No. S06794 and Assembly Bill No. A09016. The bills were then referred to their respective committees for further deliberation.

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Topics: Andy Warhol Foundation, New York State Assembly, authentication, American Rule, Bill No. A09016, Art Law Day, clear and convincing evidence, Appraisal, Wolfgang Beltracchi, Art Law Committee, Chagall Committee, Appraisers Association of America, Keith Haring Foundation, New York Arts and Cultural Affairs Law, New York City Bar Association, authenticator, M. Knoedler & Co., Chagall, Senate Bill No. S06794

Knoedler Forgery Cases Foretell New Battleground Over Art Dealer Diligence

Posted by Nicholas O'Donnell on September 25, 2013 at 1:04 PM

For more than two years now, the collapse of the M. Knoedler & Co. Gallery in New York amidst allegations of forged paintings by well-known 20th Century artists has sent ripples in all directions: legal, art historical, legislative, and connoisseurship. Several recent developments have drawn focus to the likely litigation fallout among those affected by the scandal.

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Topics: Andy Warhol Foundation, Daedalus Foundation, William K. Rashabaum, Forgery, Knoedler, Ann Freedman, Wolfgang Belctracchi, Marco Grassi, Jackson Pollock, Robert Motherwell, Patricia Cohen, Litigation, Glafira Rosales, New York Times, M. Knoedler & Co., connoisseurship, New York Magazine, National Public Radio

No Infringement in Cariou v. Prince—Second Circuit Plays Art Critic and Finds Fair Use

Posted by Nicholas O'Donnell on April 25, 2013 at 11:11 AM

Two years after a U.S. District Court decision that sent shock waves through the contemporary art world, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed that earlier finding that Richard Prince infringed the copyright of Patrick Cariou. Instead, the appeals court ruled that all but five Prince works at issue were fair use under the Copyright Act, remanding the case to re-analyze those five works. It is as dramatic a win for appropriation art as the lower court decision was a chill on that art.

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Topics: Andy Warhol Foundation, Richard Prince, Copyright Act, Graduation, Second Circuit, Canal Zone, Patrick Cariou, Charlie Company, appropriation art, Meditation, Yes Rasta, Clifford Wallace, Warhol, Cézanne, Copyright, Canal Zone (2008), de Kooning, Picasso, Fair Use, Google, Canal Zone (2007)

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About the Blog


The Art Law Report provides timely updates and commentary on legal issues in the museum and visual arts communities. It is authored by Nicholas M. O'Donnell, partner in our Art & Museum Law Practice.

The material on this site is for general information only and is not legal advice. No liability is accepted for any loss or damage which may result from reliance on it. Always consult a qualified lawyer about a specific legal problem.

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