Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Law definition

What does Law mean? In legal practice, Law describes the body of binding rules governing parties’ rights and obligations in the relevant jurisdiction(s). It is not a single statutory or case-law definition; in contracts it is a descriptive catch‑all used to capture all sources of applicable law. Law includes: (a) any primary or secondary legislation (including regulations, statutory instruments and byelaws) in force from time to time that applies to a party or to the place the Services are provided; (b) the common law and, where applicable, equity; (c) any binding court order, judgment or decree; (d) any applicable industry code,

Art law in the UK: a private client practitioner’s guide to transactions, disputes, provenance, export controls, bailment, heritage tax reliefs, and emerging issues (AI, NFTs)

Published by a LexisNexis Private Client expert

Practice notes

Introduction to the art market and art Law

Over the past three decades, the art market has altered markedly:

Key hubs are now London, New York and Hong Kong, with Paris the fourth largest centre, and domestic markets serving lower-priced art and collectables
Transactions have grown more opaque and anonymous
Values for iconic works have soared-Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi achieved $450.3m in 2017
Leading auction houses exert ever greater power
Collectors engage art advisers for due diligence, access and guidance, though some are not suitably qualified
The past 20 years have seen the rise of ‘mega’ art fairs, appearing roughly every four months worldwide
Art is increasingly treated as an asset class-and promoted as an investment by auction classes
In an ever more global market, lawyers acting for collectors, businesses and not-for-profit organisations often encounter multi-jurisdictional matters
Rapid developments in AI now encompass AI-generated artwork

There is growing acceptance that art law has emerged as a specialist field in its own right...

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Adam Carvalho

Adam Carvalho has more than 15 years' experience as a contentious Private Client lawyer. Most recently, he was a Legal Director in the Contentious Trusts and Probate Team at Myerson, where he worked on complex and high-value contentious trust and probate matters.Adam trained, qualified and worked as a senior associate and partner in a central London firm in the Tier 1 nationally for Contentious Trust and Probate work.Adam has considerable experience of ultra-high value litigation, cross-jurisdictional matters and disputes in non-UK courts. Adam has litigated in the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, and advised in relation to complex matters in courts from Bermuda to New Zealand. Adam is known for his constructive, pragmatic advice, his down to earth approach, and his technical knowledge. Adam is a firm believer in focusing on the main issues and providing sound and accessible advice....

Web page updated on 28/05/2026

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