Art & Heritage Lawyers

Sherrards’ Art & Heritage team consists of lawyers who have worked in auction houses and galleries and been employed as in-house counsel. These experiences inside the art and cultural sector allow us to advise our clients from a genuinely informed perspective.

Our reputation in the art and heritage sector reflects the clients we work with: excellent, knowledgeable and high-class.

If you think you would benefit from our experience and advice, please do contact us on the details below.

Photo © Arthur Byng Nelson with thanks to the Estate of Patrick Caulfield. 

Legal advice on Art & Heritage Law

Acquisition and sales

If you plan to purchase or sell an artwork or heritage piece, we can draft a purchase or sale agreement for you, as well as represent you and negotiate on your behalf. Our deep understanding of the market means we can advise on the best possible terms for our clients.

Art Authentication & Provenance Issues

We can provide support and advice in art authentication and provenance research to assist you to verify an artwork’s authenticity, ownership history and title to protect you from fraud. We can also advise on contested provenance or ownership.

Art Litigation & Dispute Resolution

In the event of dispute fraud, forgery or misrepresentation, our art lawyers can represent you in litigating and resolving disputes arising from an artwork, cultural or luxury assets.

Estate Planning & Tax Advice

We can provide specialist legal advice on estate planning and inheritance, including how to gift artwork to family or institutions, or organising the division of art of luxury assets in the case of a divorce. We have particular experience advising on heritage tax matters such as the acceptance in lieu scheme, conditional exemption and the cultural gifts scheme.

IP Law and Reproduction Rights

We will advise on copyright and intellectual property law, licensing for exhibitions or publications, and negotiating resale rights. 

 

Get in contact to discuss your personal legal and strategy needs further with experts in art and heritage law today. 

Meet the Art & Heritage team

Recent examples of our work:

  • Advising an artist on the contract for the commission of a public sculpture and negotiating improved financial terms
  • Advising an art dealer on an auction house’s terms and conditions in the context of a purchased forgery
  • Advising a family holding pre-eminent items on a successful acceptance in lieu offer to the nation
  • Advising an artist on an agreement to curate an exhibition at a UK national museum
  • Advising an artist’s estate on licensing requests from a New York museum
  • Advising an international collector on a loan agreement and sale and purchase agreement of significant works of art