Sarah Barker

Practice Areas

Sarah is deeply immersed in the art industry, having worked for almost twenty years with artists and their estates, galleries, agents and dealers, collectors, foundations, trustees, auction houses, art lenders, fractional ownership platforms, and other industry players such as art businesses within the technology sector. Sarah advises on the various aspects of the complex and often idiosyncratic relationships in the sector (both from a contentious and non-contentious perspective), and acts as trusted adviser to many of her clients.

With a background as a City corporate lawyer, Sarah advises on high value transactions for the sale and purchase of fine art and other valuable moveable assets (such as musical instruments, antiques, and precious stones). She also drafts the contracts underpinning the commercial relationships within the sector (such as consignment agreements, agency agreements, representation agreements, terms of sale, loan agreements, and auction house terms). Sarah has a particular specialism in the anti-money laundering regulation of the art market.

Sarah is a regular contributor to Apollo - the International Art Magazine, and she has lectured at the Sotheby's Institute of Art. She is a frequent panel speaker, and her views on art law and business matters have been sought by think tanks and various publications including RUSI, the Financial Times, Bloomberg Law, the Art Newspaper, Dazed, and Tatler. She is a member of Professional Advisors to the International Art Market, the Association of Women in the Arts and the Institute of Art & Law.

Professional Memberships

PAIAM

AWITA

Institute of Art & Law

Personal

Sarah sits on the Advisory Council for ArtClear (a digital art verification business) and sat on the Advisory Council for CIRCA Art. She is the former Chairman of the Royal Academy Schools’ Patrons Committee, and she sat for three terms on the Arts & Heritage Giving Committee for one of the UK’s largest philanthropic foundations. Sarah is listed in 'Who's Who', the leading source of up-to-date information about influential people from all walks of life, worldwide.