Sarah Barker

Practice Areas

Sarah is the head of the Withers art law team. Sarah has been advising clients in the art sector for nearly twenty years. Her practice focuses exclusively on art and the plethora of legal issues that flow from owning and transacting artworks.

Acting for collectors and family offices, Sarah regularly transacts high value fine art sale and purchases (via auction or private treaty sales), and she advises on and implements the restructuring of internationally held art assets. She also regularly advises on complex auction guarantee arrangements, consignment agreements, export restrictions, title disputes, misappropriation disputes, anti-money laundering and all the other matters that can accompany the sale and purchase of fine art and collectibles.

Additionally, Sarah works with artists and their estates, galleries, art dealers, art agents, brokers, and other industry players. Sarah brings a broad industry network and genuine sector know-how to bear on behalf of her clients.

Sarah’s views on art law and business are frequently sought by publications including the Financial Times, Bloomberg Law and Tatler. She is a regular contributor to Apollo Magazine, and has lectured at the Sotheby’s Institute of Art.

Professional Memberships

Member of PAIAM , AWITA and the Institute of Art & Law.

Personal

Sarah sits on the Advisory Council for ArtClear and sat on the Advisory Council for CIRCA Art. She is the former Chairman of the RA Schools’ Patrons Committee, and sat on the Arts & Heritage Giving Committee for one of the UK’s largest philanthropic foundations.