International law firm Withers is proud to announce the release of the fifth edition of Art Law: The Guide for Collectors, Investors, Dealers & Artists, long considered the gold standard for all art law matters. The comprehensive legal treatise is authored by Diana Wierbicki, head of Withers’ global art law practice, along with former Withers lawyers Ralph E. Lerner and the late Judith Bresler.
First published in 1989, the book is dedicated to an extraordinary range of topics, examining legal, business, tax, estate planning and financial considerations related to art. Filled with timely and practical guidance, as well as deep and critical insights, the latest edition of Art Law addresses current developments affecting the art market and offers essential guidance to lawyers, artists, dealers, museums, collectors, auction houses and anyone else interested in art.
“From tax and privacy laws, to the growing prevalence of technology and social media in the art world, this book prepares collectors and businesses for a vast new regulatory landscape that has taken shape in recent years,” Ms. Wierbicki said. “Art Law also provides guidance for a range of issues brought on unexpectedly by COVID-19, from the shift to virtual viewing rooms to protecting art amid bankruptcy scenarios resulting from the pandemic.”
In addition to an updated chapter dedicated to the intersection of art and technology, the fifth edition examines new issues related to the artist-dealer relationship; tax and estate planning strategies for collectors and artists; new legal challenges for museums; artists’ rights under copyright law and the First Amendment; resources for dealing with art theft and artworks confiscated by the Nazis; the impact of street art; and much more.
At Withers, Ms. Wierbicki represents clients on many ground-breaking developments that are changing the landscape of the art market. She also serves as Co-chair of the Appraisers Association of America’s Art Law Day, as Chair of the New York City Bar Association’s Art Law Committee, on the Professional Advisory Council of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, on the Planned Giving Advisory Council of the New York Historical Society and as a member of the ArtTable Circle.
Mr. Lerner and Ms. Bresler are nationally renowned art advisors and scholars, who have co-authored each previous edition of Art Law.
Prominent stakeholders in the industry are calling this latest edition “the bible of art law” and saying it is “a must in any dealer’s library.” Copies can be purchased through book publisher Practising Law Institute.
