Art Law: Seminar
Spring term, Block K
Th 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Professor Harry S. Martin
2 classroom credits LAW-98550A Spring
This seminar will selectively explore how the law shapes and constrains the visual arts. The seminar will examine a broad spectrum of problems involving the interaction of art and the law, both historically and in contemporary society. Emphasis will be given to issues such as copyright in art images, moral rights and droit de suite statutes; First Amendment rights of artists; public support for art and art in public places; legal issues that arise in the art market: stolen art, forgeries, authentication, agreements for the transfer and commission of works of art, valuation problems related to authentication and artist estates, and aspects of the purchase, sale, and charitable contribution of works of art; repatriation of cultural objects and the illicit international trade in art; and ethics and legality in museum policies. The class will frequently consider contemporary art controversies as a means of examining these broader issues. Requirements for all students include: regular attendance, active participation in discussion, a newspaper editorial on an assigned topic to be debated in class, and a research paper. The seminar requirement can be met with a paper of twenty-five pages, but students are encouraged to write a more substantial, fifty-page paper for an additional credit that can be used to satisfy the School's Written Work Requirement. Class size will be limited to twenty students. The class is not open to 1Ls. There is no limit on the percentage of LL.M. candidates.