Intellectual Property
Dec. 5, 2025
The hidden hand of law in the life of art
The law shapes every stage of a work of art's life -- from its creation and sale to exhibition, reproduction, donation, and even restitution -- revealing the many ways legal rules underpin and influence the art world.
Hall of Justice
Simon J. Frankel
Judge
Prelim hearings
Yale Law School
Simon serves as chair of the firm's Intellectual Property Rights practice.
Imagine a lovely painting created in the 1980s, now hanging in an
art museum. What role did the law play in the creation of the work and in how the
work arrived at the museum?
Art is about creativity and expression, about crossing boundaries and provoking reflection. The law is about rules, predictability, order and responsibility. Art and law seem like separate worlds, but they intersect in so many...
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