After a two-year hiatus, the Responsible Art Market Initiative is planning a return to its in-person annual conference at the end of this month in Geneva. For anyone who has attended RAM events or used its catalogue of guidance and best practices, this is exciting news and hopefully a chance to gather in a format that has been informative and enjoyable for many years now. As before, the gathering will be at the Palexpo in Geneva and the artgeneve art fair. 

This year’s topic is Intermediaries and Sustainability in the Art Market. I am pleased to have shepherded a working group that has drafted practical guidelines for intermediaries in the art market. We will present the guidelines, and then several intermediaries will work through a practical case study. In addition, panelists will discuss the role of sustainability in the marketplace.

Stay tuned for registration information. Obviously conditions are changing rapidly, but I hope to see you in Geneva!

Topics: Geneva, artgenève, Events, Responsible Art Market, Palexpo, Intermediaries

I am pleased and humbled to report that Chambers and Partners has issued its 2021 High Net Worth Guide Rankings, and that I was ranked as a Band 2 Ranked Individual in Art and Cultural Property Law rankings for the United States. Chambers is a thorough and highly regarded practice ranking, and the recognition is a validation of the art law team at Sullivan at the ten-year anniversary of our practice group. From the rankings:
Nicholas O'Donnell of Sullivan & Worcester in Boston is principally known for his work on restitution matters. "He is well known in the restitution field and writes very frequently on the subject," says a source, adding: "He is extremely eloquent and knowledgeable on the subject." Another source says that "Nick O'Donnell is an exceptional lawyer," and has written what this source describes as "the leading book on Nazi looted art from a legal perspective." Several sources highlight O'Donnell's recent work on perhaps the most high-profile art restitution case in decades, the Guelph Treasure matter which went to the US Supreme Court in December 2020. One international interviewee says that "his knowledge of restitution cases, particularly in Austria and Germany, is unparalleled from a US perspective," adding that "on restitution-related art matters, he really stands head and shoulders above others."

Topics: Guelph Treasure, MItchell Stein, art law, Supreme Court, Restitution, Sullivan & Worcester LLP, Restitution and Repatriation, International Bar Association, Responsible Art Market, Chambers and Partners, Erika Todd

For several years late January has been occasion for gatherings of the Responsible Art Market Initiative, a collective of art market stakeholders striving for consistency and standards in the international market that started in collaboration with the Art Law Centre at the University of Geneva. I have been proud to contribute to the RAM Task Force as it composed the Due Diligence Toolkit and country guides for, among other things, anti-money laundering legislation, and I am currently on the Advisory Board.

Topics: Anne Laure Bandle, Geneva, Sandrine Giroud, Christie's, Megan Noh, Art Law Centre, University of Geneva, Mathilde Heaton, Responsible Art Market, Marc-André Renold, Ralph Wyss, Deloitte, Phillips, An Art Market in Evolution, 5th European Anti-Money Laundering Directive, Artssurance, Anne-Claire Bisch-Saffioti, LINK Management, Sharon Hecker, Sarah Charles, Catherine Denoun, Rudy Capildeo, Katharina Ammann, Swiss Institute for Art Research, Sarah Allen, Hauser & Wirth, Anne-Sophie Nardon

After another well-attended and well-received event in Geneva in January, the Responsible Art Market Initiative is coming to New York!  In coordination with the Professional Advisors to the International Art Market (PAIAM), we will be holding an afternoon seminar at Columbia University on May 23, 2019.  The program and registration will be available shortly, but panels moderated by RAM Advisory Board members Justine Ferland (University of Geneva) and I will boast a stellar lineup of experts that will address questions concerning compliance and legislative developments affecting the art market, and best practices in art transaction risk management.

Topics: Columbia University, University of Geneva, Responsible Art Market, Justine Ferland, PAIAM

The Fondation pour le Droit d’Art (Art Law Foundation) is a Geneva-based group that sponsors exploration of important topics at the intersection of art and law.  Over the last few years, often in collaboration with the Art Law Centre of the University of Geneva, they have explored with particular skill a number of complex questions about the commercial components of the international art market.  As we have touted before, their events are routinely of the highest quality.  I am pleased to note the following upcoming event on January 26, 2017 at artgenève, which I am very much looking forward to attending (the program is in English).  Registration is available here.  Hope to see you there! 

Topics: Pierre Gabus, Anne Laure Bandle, Art Law Foundation, Geneva, artgenève, Sandrine Giroud, Lalive, Events, University of Geneva, Ursula Cassani, Riccardo Sansonetti, Simon Studer, Mathilde Heaton, Responsible Art Market, Fondation pour le Droit d’Art, Marc-André Renold, Jean-Bernard Schmid, Rakhi Talwar, Ralph Wyss, RAM