Greetings!

The Third Annual Art, Finance, and Law Symposium is scheduled for May 16, 2024 at SFMOMA.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Erwin Chemerinsky, Professor and Dean of Berkeley Law, who will discuss freedom of speech in the arts
• Chung-Pei Ma, Professor of Astrophysics at UC Berkeley, who will elaborate on the link between science and art
• Socrates Sourvinos, Consul General of Greece in San Francisco, who will share his perspective on issues of repatriation and cultural heritage
• Scott Wiener, California State Senator for the 11th District, who will give his take on the US and EU approaches to AI legislation and its impact on the creative process

For a full agenda and to register visit the Symposium website and check out our promo trailer.

This month we highlight news of artistic freedom and the courts, the illicit antiques trade, trends in the art market, artificial intelligence in museums, and more.

Delia Violante, Founder of the Art, Law, and Finance Project, Berkeley Center for Law and Business

Raji Musinipally - Chit Chatting. Acrylic on canvas 12" x 12"

Academic Corner



UCLA LAW PROFESSOR XIYIN TANG

In Trademark Law and the Contingent Art Object, UCLA Law Professor Xiyin Tang discusses the nexus between contemporary art on the one hand, and branding and trademark law on the other -- a connection increasingly strengthened by the transformation of contemporary art into a kind of luxury good where the artist becomes the brand.

Warhol Foundation Settles Copyright Dispute

THE ART NEWSPAPER

The long court dispute over the use by the artist Andy Warhol of a photograph of the rock musician Prince has ended with the Warhol Foundation agreeing to pay the celebrity photographer Lynn Goldsmith for the unlicensed use of her portrait on a magazine cover. Read more>

Judge Bans Display of Digital Artworks

ARTNET



U.S. District Court Judge Jed Rakoff has prohibited digital artist Mason Rothschild from exhibiting a series of images depicting Hermes Birkin handbags in multi-colored faux fur designs. The images, originally dubbed “MetaBirkins” and marketed as NFTs, were previously subject to a trademark infringement lawsuit which a jury decided in favor of Hermes. Read more>

Tiepolo at the Center of a Court Ruling

THE NEW YORK TIMES

A New York court has ordered Sotheby’s to reveal the names of its clients in the sale of a painting by Tiepolo depicting Saint Francis of Paola. The work was alleged to have been misappropriated from its Jewish owner during World War II. The ruling comes amid criticism that the art market needs to be more transparent. Read more>

British Museum v. Peter Higgs

AP NEWS

The British Museum is suing a former curator alleged to have stolen more than 1,800 artifacts from its collection, offering them for sale on eBay and other online marketplaces. Read more>

European AI Act Passes

EURO NEWS

The European Union has passed legislation to regulate artificial intelligence, the first of it’s kind. But while some argue that it does not go far enough, others say it could hurt companies with “additional constraints”. Read more>

Germany Introduces Binding Arbitration for Nazi-Looted Art

THE ART NEWSPAPER

The German government has approved reforms that replace the non-binding rulings of an advisory panel with binding arbitration for claims related to Nazi-looted art. The new regime is expected to significantly improve the ability of Jewish claimants to obtain restitution. Read more>

Nazi-looted Work at the Art Institute of Chicago

THE NEW YORK TIMES

The Art Institute of Chicago purposely turned a blind eye to Nazi-looted art in its collection, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office alleges. The work in question is a drawing by Egon Schiele rightfully owned by the heirs of Fritz Grünbaum. Read more>

Frida Kahlo Corp. Files Trademark Lawsuits

ARTNEWS

The Frida Kahlo Corporation, which owns the artist’s intellectual property rights, has filed suit against online retailers working through Amazon demanding all profits from the unauthorized reproduction of her likeness and art. Yes, that does include the Frida handbag you bought last week. Read more>

Report Alert: The Year Ahead

ARTNET

The Intelligence Report: The Year Ahead 2024 from Artnet provides an overview of last year’s market performance, plus a fascinating look at how the large auction houses operate, as well as interviews with important players. Read more>

Report Alert: the Art Basel & UBS Art Market Report

ARTS ECONOMICS

If you found the Artnet report too lightweight, try the comprehensive deep-dive of The Art Basel & UBS Art Market Report 2024 from Arts Economics. The report details, inter alia, how online platforms and new technologies are gaining traction, and the NFT market is beginning to stabilize. Read more>

Sotheby's Courtroom Victory Unlikely to Change Art Market

THE ART NEWSPAPER

A jury decided a fraud suit by Russian oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev against Sotheby’s decisively in favor of the auction house. The allegations were widely regarded as frivolous, and are unlikely to change the behavior of anybody in the art market. Read more>

Interactive Timelines for the Illicit Antiquities Trade

ANTIQUITIES COALITION

The Antiquities Coalition has released a fascinating series of interactive timelines illustrating the ongoing fight against “cultural racketeering”. The timelines cover the topics of patrimony legislation, bilateral agreements, and major seizures. Read more>

Value of an Artwork in the Digital Age

ARTCLEAR

Damien Hirst discusses his conceptual artwork The Currency that explores the source of value in art by forcing purchasers to choose between a physical painting and an NFT representing the same work. Spoiler alert: At this point, the physical paintings are selling at about ten times the price of the NFTs. Read more>

Artificial Intelligence in Museums

TRANSCRIPT PUBLISHING

Transcript Publishing has released AI in Museums, a set of papers that came out of the December 2022 conference “Cultures of Artificial Intelligence: New Perspectives for Museums”. The volume covers topics in how AI can change the museum experience, the possibilities, the dangers, and the nuts and bolts of how to get it done. Read more>

Cultural Destruction in a Time of War

PBS

In Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the destruction of Ukrainian history and heritage hasn’t been a matter of collateral damage. Rather, the Russian military has deliberately targeted museums, churches and libraries that are important to the Ukrainian people. Read more>

Art as a Bridge Between People and Nations

THE ART NEWSPAPER

Israel will not be banned from the Venice Biennale, the Italian culture minister has said—calling a protest letter signed by more than 14,000 artists and cultural workers "shameful". Read more>

Could Neanderthals Create Art?

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN

Scientists are finding ever-earlier examples of artistic expression in the archaeological record that reshape what we know about the abilities of Neanderthals and other archaic humans. Read more>

San Francisco Art Lovers to the Rescue

THE NEW YORK TIMES

The bankrupt San Francisco Art Institute has been sold to a new nonprofit organization led by the philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs. The former school will house an unaccredited institution that will be used as a platform for supporting artists and creating a center for the community around art. Read more>

Cultural Heritage and 3D Technology

EUROPEANA

3D technologies offer opportunities to broaden access to culture, preserve our shared cultural heritage and spur creativity and innovation. The Flemish Institute for Archives shares how they use 3D scanning to digitize and preserve cultural assets. Read more>

Meet the Artist

RAJI MUSINIPALLY

SF Bay area-based artist Raji Musinipally's Indian heritage, traveling, and life in California are a constant source of inspiration. She loves painting with bright colors to excite and engage the eye. Indian folk art, Pop Art, Impressionism and Cubism all influence her work. Raji's eclectic style permeates her canvas in a bold way. Learn more>

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