Art and Cultural Property Law
UK Guide 2025 : UK-wide
Band 3
Email address
[email protected]Contact number
(020) 3036 7000About
Provided by Fladgate LLP
Our art team combines wide-ranging expertise in the financial, tax and import/export aspects of art ownership with a deep understanding of the sensitivities and peculiarities of the international art market.
Our specialist art law practice deals with art transactions and with various related issues and disputes. These include matters relating to contract, auction, attribution, provenance, restitution, artist’s rights, cultural
heritage, intellectual property, tax and estate planning – including tax incentives such as the Cultural Gifts Scheme and inheritance tax conditional exemption – export licences, CITES, insurance, finance and collateral.
Our clients are primarily collectors and investors, agents and introducers, but we have also acted for and dealt with artists, dealers, auction houses, museums and galleries, consignors, storers, valuers and exhibitors, as well as the descendants of the victims of Nazi-looted or forced-sale art and innocent purchasers.
Chambers Review
Fladgate's art law team is well positioned to handle a broad range of contentious and non-contentious art-related matters, including contested attribution, restitution and disputes arising from divorces. Much of the work is located at the intersection of private client, family and art law.
Strengths
Provided by Chambers
"It is an outstanding team with exceptional private client experience."
"The quality of service given is unparalleled. Fladgate is an extremely conscientious and high-powered firm."
"It is an outstanding team with exceptional private client experience."
"The quality of service given is unparalleled. Fladgate is an extremely conscientious and high-powered firm."
Notable Practitioners
Hetty Gleave handles contentious matters concerning title, authenticity and looted art, and is also an experienced family lawyer.
"Her expertise is broad and deep in terms of art deals. She is very calm, solutions-focused, imaginative, pragmatic and a really good communicator."
"Hetty is a great expert on family disputes involving art assets, for example divorces. She has a penchant for mediation and conciliation, which is a real asset."
"Hetty is extremely practical. A trained mediator, she always approaches a matter with a view to resolving it rather than dragging it out to a dispute."
Rebecca Christie is a senior associate at Fladgate, with a considerable art and cultural property practice. She is a board member of the London chapter of PAIAM and a respected member of the art law community.
"Rebecca is a brilliant advocate for the arts and just the person you would want on your team in a crisis. She is dedicated, efficient and incredibly friendly."
"Rebecca Christie is very good at making people feel at ease, such that they are more able to listen and engage rather than feeling nervous. She is good at making sure people are not overawed."
"Rebecca Christie is fantastic. She is full of ideas, full of energy: just terrific."
Ranked Lawyers at
Fladgate LLP
UK-wide