"Introduction to Art Law: Legal Knowledge Concerning Works of Art"

2021/07/28

It was about 20 years ago when Michela Cocchi from Italy asked me, "Makoto, could you help me out?" She is a lawyer based in Bologna who serves as an advisor to fashion and art magazine publishers, but her request at the time was for me to help establish the Art Law Committee as a sub-committee of the Union Internationale des Avocats (UIA), headquartered in Paris. At the time, I didn't even know the meaning of "art law" (a general term for laws related to works of art and cultural property), but I readily agreed with the simple motivation that working with Michela, who looked like she had stepped out of a fashion magazine, might be fun. I served as Vice President of the Art Law Committee for several years, supporting her primarily in the planning and management of seminars and international conferences. The UIA Art Law Committee is a consultative body where legal professionals from various countries dealing with art law bring together issues they have encountered in their practice to study solutions. At the time, it was the only opportunity for art law specialists from around the world to gather and exchange information.

Through these activities, I became aware of various legal issues and made many acquaintances, such as the late Professor Norman Palmer of the University of London, an authority on cultural property protection law, and Howard Spiegler, a New York attorney specializing in the recovery of Nazi-looted art. Consequently, my opportunities to handle art-related cases increased.

Leveraging these experiences, I established an "Art and Law" course at Keio Law School in 2010, where I teach students about legal affairs related to art transactions. Initially, I hesitated to teach art law at a law school since it is not a subject on the bar exam. However, an unexpectedly large number of talented students took the course, and even after graduation, they share feedback such as "It was the most interesting subject" and "It was stimulating."

I began writing this book during the stay-at-home period of the COVID-19 pandemic to use as a textbook for my classes. Following advice from the publisher, I used the simplest possible expressions and various techniques so that it could be understood even by those without legal knowledge. While the importance of art law is growing amid a surge in art transactions, there are few reference books that explain the laws necessary for art-related business. I hope this book will be used by artists, gallerists, curators, art lovers, and many others interested in art.

"Introduction to Art Law: Legal Knowledge Concerning Works of Art"

Makoto Shimada

Keio University Press

352 pages, 3,740 yen (tax included)

*Affiliations and titles are as of the time of publication.