Art & Cultural Property

LALIVE’s thriving art law practice has a long tradition dating back to the interest and engagement of the firm’s founders in this area. Today, we represent and advise collectors, galleries, dealers, museums, auction houses and governments. Our art lawyers negotiate, litigate and advise our clients on all legal issues related to fine art and the art world.

Although Swiss based, we routinely work across borders and are well-versed in multi-jurisdictional matters calling upon our network of specialist lawyers for support in other jurisdictions.

• Restitution and looted art: We have built considerable experience in Holocaust-era and stolen art as well as in repatriation claims. We advise museums, collectors and families to clarify the provenance of disputed artworks, working towards fair and just solutions and establishing ownership rights judicially where necessary.
• Buying and selling art: We advise collectors, dealers, galleries, museums, charitable organisations and auction houses on an array of legal issues connected with the buying and selling of fine art, antiques and other collectibles at private auction and privately.
• Art due diligence: Regulatory and reputational due diligence is becoming increasingly important to preserve the art market. It is about managing legal and reputational risks. Having contributed to innovative initiatives in the art market on best practices, we apply these when advising our clients on buying and selling fine art, including the steps to be put in place for any art market operators, with proven experience in money laundering, trafficking of antiquities, looted art and fakes.
• Art as collateral: While art is a passion, it can also be an investment. We advise on a broad range of transactions involving art as an asset or as a collateral in loans to museums or loan against the value of an artwork.
• Copyright issues: Planning and leaving your collection: Without adequate estate planning, collections built over years can be very quickly dismantled. Dissension among heirs may cause the collection to be divided, thus reducing its overall value, or tear families apart. To ensure its safe and peaceful passage through time, an art collection requires special adjustments and careful planning, with a long-term perspective and a clear sense of the underlying purpose. We can help you on a broad spectrum of issues including identifying and setting-up the appropriate structure for your collection, advising on governance issue and estate planning.