Art and Cultural Property Law
High Net Worth Guide 2024 : UK-wide
Band 1
About
Provided by Wedlake Bell LLP
Our team of specialist art and luxury lawyers advise a range of clients from artists, private collectors and international galleries through to governments, state institutions, museums, lenders, philanthropists and art fairs. We also have rich experience in other luxury assets such as collector cars, musical instruments, jewellery, wine and watches.
Internationally recognised art lawyers, Tim Maxwell and Rudy Capildeo, lead our Art & Luxury practice. Their team is routinely instructed on record-breaking transactions and high-value disputes, and has assisted on a number of important and ground breaking cases, while also saving collections for the nation and helping clients to achieve world-record auction results.
We continue to be instructed on ongoing cases, including title and artist representation disputes and regulatory issues including sanctions advice. We have been instructed on new disputes involving fraud and art financing and represent several street artists and collectors of street art.
Chambers Review
The art and cultural property law team at Wedlake Bell is experienced in providing both transactional and regulatory advice to galleries and art businesses. The lawyers are also proficient in complex and high-profile art fraud litigation and financing disputes.
Strengths
Provided by Chambers
"As a whole, the team have a real energy to them. They are stretching their arms wide to provide a one-stop shop for all aspects of art law."
"Wedlake Bell is a firm which can say it has a full art offering."
"Their speed and efficiency in responding and the clarity of their responses never fail to impress me. I feel very safe when we have an issue."
"As a whole, the team have a real energy to them. They are stretching their arms wide to provide a one-stop shop for all aspects of art law."
"Wedlake Bell is a firm which can say it has a full art offering."
"Their speed and efficiency in responding and the clarity of their responses never fail to impress me. I feel very safe when we have an issue."
Notable Practitioners
Rudy Capildeo focuses on non-contentious art matters, advising a range of clients including artists, collectors, notable galleries and other institutions.
"Rudy is a great lawyer. He is very commercially driven, does not overcomplicate matters and is very pragmatic in trying to find reasonable solutions for us."
"Rudy is a top commercial lawyer who specialises in the art world. He is very good on transactions, business dealings, art market professionals and regulation."
"Rudy approaches things with technical rigour and delivers solutions in an engaging way. He has a very good client manner, is very personable and keeps complicated solutions simple for clients."
Tim Maxwell is highly regarded for handling art litigation, including matters related to ownership, provenance and authenticity.
"Tim’s experience as legal counsel in the art world was invaluable. He was highly professional and made the correct decisions about the direction in which we would be the most successful."
"Tim is highly professional and highly astute. He thinks of all the things no one else in the room has thought of, which gives clients a great amount of confidence."
"Tim's grasp of intellectual property is second to none. He is brilliant and incredibly shrewd. There was no question that we were in safe hands."
Petra Warrington handles art matters related to authenticity, ownership and restitution. She has recently been promoted to partner at Wedlake Bell.
"Petra Warrington is strong, very competent and always available."
"Petra is really good. She has lots of serious litigation experience in the art field and is very calm, methodical, and good with clients as well."
"Petra is excellent. She has an art background and really in-depth understanding, knowledge and interest in the field. She is very diligent, hard-working and thorough."
Tamara Wakeford advises artists, collectors, dealers and other key art world clients on contentious matters and financing mandates.
"I cannot speak more highly of Tamara Wakeford: a brilliant mind blended with an equally bright personality. She has excellent levels of vision and service and is wonderful to work with."
"Tamara is an absolute gem. She is on top of everything and has the most engaging personality. Tamara is thorough, painstakingly detail-oriented, patient beyond words and totally professional."
"Tamara is really on it - very energetic, very interested in the art world and very personable. I was impressed by her confidence and grasp of what needed to be done."
Ranked Individuals at
Wedlake Bell LLP
UK-wide