International Art Law

Artworks reflect the culture of their creators, but artworks themselves know no boundaries. Perhaps for that reason, the most interesting and newsworthy issues in art law today are international law issues.

This course addresses international legal issues related to art as a creative endeavor, art as an article of commerce, and art as a significant cultural artifact.

Issues examined include:

• the moral rights of artists;
• international copyright (and other) protections for artists and their work;
• legal aspects of international art loans and consignments; and export and import control laws designed to prevent the cross-border shipment of culturally significant artworks.

The recovery of stolen artworks is also discussed, especially those plundered during wartime, including statutes that prevent the seizure of artworks from non-profit museums, in order to encourage international art loans, even if the artworks were stolen or illegally exported.