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Art lawSpanish court seeks Japanese judicial assistance to secure a Zurbarán painting allegedly exported illegally
A Spanish court is trying to get back a valuable painting by Zurbarán (“Santo Domingo de Guzmán”) that’s now on display at a museum in Tokyo, because they believe it was illegally taken out of Spain without an export permit. The case stems from a family dispute. Several relatives allegedly held onto the painting under […]
- Art law
Mexico’s Supreme Court to Review Ban on Permanent Export of Frida Kahlo’s Works
Mexico’s Supreme Court has agreed to review the legality of a 1984 presidential decree that prohibits the permanent export of works by Frida Kahlo. The issue is especially significant given the scarcity of her works in public ownership: of the 152 works attributed to Kahlo, only seven paintings are held in Mexican state collections. The […]
- Insurance law Art law
Art Insurance and Lloyd’s of London: Looking Beyond the Syndicate’s Name
Introduction “From its earliest days, the café’s clientele frequented Lloyd’s for more than just a warm drink.”: In Halbower v. Hiscox Syndicate 33 of Lloyd’s of London (6th Cir., 29 May 2026), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit considered a dispute arising from the destruction of several high-value artworks in a fire […]
- Uncategorized Art law
US Congress passes revised HEAR Act removing barriers to Nazi-looted art claims
For decades, restitution claims for Nazi-looted art have often failed not on substance, but on procedural defenses—laches, statutes of limitations, or even acquisitive prescription.The HEAR Act 2025 changes this fundamentally: these defenses are largely set aside, and claims are to be decided on their merits. The U.S. Congress has passed the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery […]
- Arbitration Art law
Germany’s New Arbitration Court for Nazi-Looted Cultural Property: Key Procedural Features
On 1 December 2025, Germany’s institutional arbitration body for Nazi-looted art commenced operations, replacing the former Advisory Commission. For the first time, victims of National Socialist persecution and their legal successors have access to a formalised and legally binding procedure. Below are some of the key procedural features of the arbitration body for Nazi-looted art. […]
Art lawRobbed of Their “Oomph”: Ronald Perelman’s $410M Insurance Claim Over allegedly Fire-Damaged Artworks
Years after the fire in 2018, a prominent art collector and businessman Perelman claims that 5 artworks lost their spark, luster and depth and demands $410m for them. The insurance companies have argued that the works had “not sustained any detectable damages”.
Art lawRestitution of Nazi-looted art: New law aims to facilitate enforcement of claims
On April 17th, the German Federal Ministry of Justice proposed a bill to facilitate the enforcement of claims for the return of cultural property unjustly seized during the Nazi era. New provisions include information requests and rules regarding statutes of limitations.
