Hall Of Fame

Rising Stars

Firms To Watch: Media and entertainment: Art

Specialist IP firm Barnett Avocats is developing a strong practice in the field of art law, with a standout client base of artists, galleries and experts.

Media and entertainment: Art in France

Cabinet Neuer

The highly regarded Jean-Jacques Neuer leads the art law practice at Cabinet Neuer, which represents an impressive client roster of auction houses, art dealers, collectors, experts and, most notably, the estates of many renowned artists. Neuer, who is dual-qualified in France and England and Wales, is particularly skilled in handling the defence of forgery and fraud claims.

Responsables de la pratique:

Jean-Jacques Neuer


Autres avocats clés:

Laëtitia Boidin; Aimée Merlandt


Principaux clients

Picasso Estate


Brancusi Estate


Yves Klein Estate


United Arab Emirates – DCT Louvre Abu Dhabi


Marcel Proust Estate


Arman


Jacques Tati Estate


UGGC Avocats

Bolstered by a strong international network, UGGC Avocats‘ art law practice is firmly established on the French market, with a sizeable specialist team which assists many prominent public bodies and cultural organisations with acquisitions, loans, insurance issues and the management of cultural property. The firm’s stellar client base includes the Joan Mitchell Foundation, Académie des Beaux-Arts and the Rijksmuseum. Leading the practice is Jean-François Canat, a pioneering figure in the field of art law. Anne-Marie Pecoraro regularly advises leading companies and foundations on issues such as protection and donations, whilst Corinne Khayat is a notable expert in IP (particularly copyright) law, with an in-depth knowledge of the art market. Line-Alexa GlotinPhilippe Hansen and Laure Assumpçao are other key members of the team.

Responsables de la pratique:

Jean-François Canat


Autres avocats clés:

Anne-Marie Pecoraro; Corinne Khayat; Line-Alexa Glotin; Philippe Hansen; Laure Assumpçao


Les références

‘Laure Assumpçao in particular has been fantastic to work with over the last year. Her knowledge of copyright law in the US and France has been invaluable to us. She has worked incredibly hard to keep things timely and moving forward. I also appreciate her thoughts on our strategic approach.’

‘Jean-François Canat is very well-informed and pleasant to work with.’

‘Jean-François Canat and Laure Assumpçao are truly excellent. They regularly exceed my expectations with respect to finding solutions to complex multi-jurisdictional issues.’

‘Their responsiveness, subject matter expertise, patience through frustrating circumstances, and pragmatic approach make them wonderful advisors. They are comfortable working on cases at the highest level of complexity and with difficult counterparties without losing sight of the details. I work with legal teams across a few jurisdictions, and this is one of my favourite teams thanks to their thoroughness and effectiveness.’

‘Jean-François Canat is my go-to partner for art matters in Paris: he is very experienced and very responsive. Laure Assumpçao has been able to provide balanced and incisive commercial advice.’

‘The team have a very good blend of experience in the art business, meaning they can deliver advice quickly and for a reasonable price.’

’An international law firm, with an excellent client portfolio.’

‘UGGC is a solid ally for us, especially Anne-Marie Pecoraro. She determines the strategy, co-ordinates everything and has close relationships with firms in other countries, such as the US and Italy, for cross-border matters.’

Principaux clients

Joan Mitchell Foundation


L’Etablissement Public du Musée du Louvre


Brun Fine Art


Galerie Canesso


Giacometti, Berthoud Consorts


Académie des Beaux-Arts


Mr. Jean-Claude and Mr. Philippe Legros


ArtAncient


Musée d’Art et d’Histoire du Judaïsme


Elyx Productions


Meriem Bouderbala


Luc Bellier


Rijksmuseum


Principaux dossiers


  • Represented the Joan Mitchell Foundation in a copyright infringement case against French luxury goods company Louis Vuitton Malletier and its private foundation, Fondation Louis Vuitton.
  • Represented Musée du Louvre in the context of a major criminal investigation into the international trafficking of looted art, in which it is – for now – indirectly involved.
  • Represented two private clients in two related estate disputes with the council of Compiègne and with their siblings concerning the title to ancient sculptures.

August Debouzy

Distinguished by its representation of some of Europe’s leading auction houses, August Debouzy is particularly skilled at handling disputes, art forgery cases, negotiations with the French Ministry of Culture, obtaining art passports and moral rights claims. Basile Ader, a longstanding expert in the field, co-heads the practice and specialises in sensitive, high-profile disputes. Fellow practice head Mahasti Razavi is a seasoned litigator. Amélie Tripet also advises a broad range of players on art law and art forgery cases.

Responsables de la pratique:

Basile Ader; Mahasti Razavi


Autres avocats clés:

Amélie Tripet


Les références

‘The team stand out for the efficiency and seriousness of their work. We feel the team are invested and efficient.’

‘I have nothing but praise for Amélie Tripet’s competence, as well as for her human approach to her client. Moreover, the seriousness and depth of the her work also remains a major asset.’

Pamina Avocats

Headquartered in Paris but with a strong international presence, Pamina Avocats represents prestigious clients such as world-renowned auction house Sotheby’s. With considerable expertise in multi-jurisdictional transactions and disputes, the group is able to draw on a cross-section of legal knowledge, from public and private law to issues of inheritance. Leading the team is Rémi Sermier, a former legal counsel to the French Prime Minister’s office, who is well regarded for his depth of experience in the practice area. Recent highlights for the firm include representing a non-profit foundation in litigation relating to the Modigliani archives.

Responsables de la pratique:

Rémi Sermier


Les références

‘Excellent service, great communication, knowledgeable and efficient.’

‘The team have a great passion for their craft, great knowledge and a helpful and friendly manner. Highly professional.’

‘Rémi Sermier is absolutely brilliant! Rémi is responsive, smart, strategic and a nice guy. He gets to the point quickly and his advice is always commercial.’

‘Rémi Sermier is very responsive and efficient, and provides very pragmatic, clear and cost-effective advice.’

‘Rémi Sermier is very good at solving problems and seems to understand the art market very well, and therefore can really tailor his advice to the client’s needs, without racking up fees on advice that is unnecessary.’

Principaux clients

Sotheby’s


Wildenstein Plattner Institute


Palais de Tokyo


Musée des Arts Décoratifs


Principaux dossiers


  • Assisting the state-owned entity which manages the Palais de Tokyo, an art centre dedicated to modern and contemporary art, on contractual matters.
  • Representing Sotheby’s, as the claimant, in criminal proceedings relating to the sale of forged 18th century furniture by Bill Pallot, notably to the Château de Versailles.
  • Defending Wildenstein Plattner Institute against an action brought by art historian Marc Restellini before a US court relating to the Modigliani archives.

Pinsent Masons LLP

Pinsent Masons LLP stands out for representing high-net-worth individuals (including royal family members) and government bodies in art law matters. Thanks to tis international practice, the team is skilled in dealing with cross-border commercial disputes. The team is co-led by Paris litigation head Melina Wolman, whose experience includes overseeing high-profile cases relating to looted art, and London-based Richard Hart, a trusted advisor to several prominent collectors. Michael Pulford specialises in ownership disputes, and authenticity and provenance matters, whilst Munich-based Sibylle Schumacher advises leading German cultural institutions and public bodies. Michael Fletcher, Eric Perru and Sandy Wirtz are other key practitioners.

Responsables de la pratique:

Melina Wolman; Richard Hart


Autres avocats clés:

Michael Pulford; Sibylle Schumacher; Michael Fletcher; Eric Perru; Sandy Wirtz


Les références

‘A responsive, available and, above all, very competent team.’

‘Sandy Wirtz is particularly talented. She is precise, rigorous and understands client expectations. She always finds an adequate solution and is able to turn to cutting-edge experts.’

‘Richard Hart and Michael Fletcher in London and Melina Wolman in Paris are all excellent.’

Principaux clients

Mondex Corporation


Principaux dossiers


  • Acting for despoiled families via Mondex Corporation in cases before the Commission for the Compensation of Victims of Crime (CIVI), which was created by the French government to compensate Jewish families despoiled during WWII.
  • Advising the Al Thani Collection Foundation on the loan from the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon of 97 pieces from its collection for an exhibition at the Hôtel de la Marine in Paris.

VARET PRÈS KILLY

Boutique firm VARET PRÈS KILLY leverages its expertise in digital law and intellectual property to advise leading clients such as Musée du Louvre and Musée National des Arts Asiatiques on art law issues. Xavier Près, who can draw on over 20 years of experience in the field (including previously leading the legal department of Musée du Louvre), leads the practice alongside Vincent Varet. The team is well equipped to advise both public and private clients on commissioning works of art and on intellectual property issues, as well as on sensitive matters relating to private estates.

Responsables de la pratique:

Xavier Près; Vincent Varet


Principaux clients

Bibliothèque nationale de France


Philharmonie des enfants


Musée national des arts asiatiques – Guimet


Réunion des musées nationaux – Grand Palais Champs Elysées


Musée du Louvre


Ville de Vichy


Collection Lambert