Archive of Henry Lydiate‘s Artlaw column, published in Art Monthly since 1976. Have a legal question about your career? Check our Directory or send us a legal query.
No Heirs Apparent
‘Millions of artists create; only a few thousands are discussed or accepted by the spectator and many less again are consecrated by posterity.’ So contended Marcel Duchamp in his talk on ‘the creative act’ in 1957 at…
Artists’ Estate Management
During their early careers, planning for posterity is a low priority for most artists. But as careers develop, especially if market and/or critical successes are achieved, what should happen to works after death becomes an increasingly important…
The Artist’s Estate
A tale of an ill drawn Will and 798 paintings was told in this column 40 years ago following a New York State court’s 1975 decision in favour of Mark Rothko’s children, who had contested their father’s…
Catch-22 Inheritance Tax
The absolute certainty of death and taxes poses an unavoidable estate planning question for owners of artworks: how will they be valued for inheritance tax purposes? A recent valuation dispute between the US Government’s Inland Revenue Service…