Latest News Articles by Laura Chesters
Test case for Nazi-looted artworks rules in favour of Holocaust victim's heirs on Egon Schiele pictures
06 April 2018A judge in a test case in international restitution law relating to Nazi-looted artworks has ruled in favour of a Holocaust victim's heirs rather than an art dealer who owned the pictures.
Persian art specialist opens gallery in central London
06 April 2018CAMA Gallery, a Persian art specialist from Iran, has opened its first London gallery in Westminster.
IVORY BAN – industry leaders react: “We will draw the government’s attention to the ban’s inconsistencies”
03 April 2018An idea that began life in 2015 with a Tory government manifesto pledge for a total ban on the UK trade in ivory has finally taken shape, though not as draconian as originally pitched and not yet set in legislative stone.
Ivory sales ban launched in UK by Environment Secretary Michael Gove
03 April 2018An ivory sales ban has been launched by the UK government including a number of exemptions for certain items containing ivory.
Title concerns as Ferreira map collection sells
02 April 2018Early maps and charts, previously owned by a Brazilian banker convicted of money laundering, surfaced for sale at Chiswick Auctions last week.
The late, late show at TEFAF
02 April 2018Good things come to those who wait. That is exactly what happened for Lawrence Steigrad Fine Arts. At last year’s TEFAF Maastricht a Dutch collector showed interest in a painting on his stand by Jacob Henricus Maris.
Spanish dealers arrested after antiquities from Libya seized
30 March 2018Antiquities looted from archaeological sites in Libya have been seized in Spain by police and two art dealers have been arrested.
Sell-out sale of Saudi billionaire Walid Juffali's collection takes more than £9.5m at Bonhams
28 March 2018The paintings, antiques, sculptures and objets d’art of the late Saudi Arabian billionaire Walid Juffali (1955-2016) sold out at Bonhams in a white-glove sale.
Charitable trust buys French rococo chairs for Chester museum collection
27 March 2018A charitable trust has bought two pairs of 18th century French chairs from National Galleries of Scotland for a museum in Chester.
Nazi-looted Cranach painting returned to rightful heirs to be sold at Christie’s Old Masters auction
27 March 2018An Old Master portrait missing for nearly 80 years has been returned to the heirs of Dutch banker and art collector Fritz Gutmann. They now plan to auction the picture with an estimate of $1m-2m.
National Portrait Gallery seeks help from trade to grow collection
26 March 2018The UK's National Portrait Gallery (NPG) has funding in place for vernacular portraits ‘owned by ordinary people’. It is calling on the trade to help it acquire works for a new exhibition centred on identity before the era of painted portraiture.
‘Bigger and better’ Liotard portrait sold to German museum
26 March 2018A private museum in south-west Germany has bought a portrait by Swiss artist Jean- Etienne Liotard (1702-89) from London Old Master dealer Derek Johns.
‘Money-laundering’ limit to apply to all transactions
26 March 2018The art and antiques trade is facing further money laundering regulation from the European Union.
Sylvia Plath’s copy of her novel ‘The Bell Jar’ is top lot at Bonhams auction
26 March 2018Sylvia Plath’s personal copy of the first edition of her only novel was the top lot in a sale of the ‘Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes: The Property of Frieda Hughes’ sale at Bonhams.
Kensington Church Street dealers ask trade to be vigilant following thefts
26 March 2018A thief who targeted Kensington Church Street dealers is believed to have struck again.
Derbyshire antiques centre suffers smashed window for second time in a year after car careers off road
21 March 2018Heanor Antique Centre has called on its local council to re-think the road layout on Ilkeston Road, where it is located, after its window was smashed as a second car crashed into the shop in just over a year.
Businessman and art collector launches book on unsung heroes
20 March 2018Businessman and art collector Algy Cluff is launching his second book in two years – packed full of tales including art heists, forgeries and dispersals of art collections.
Rubens portrait begins world tour in Dubai as auctioneer hopes to tap into Middle Eastern Old Master demand
19 March 2018Sotheby’s has chosen Dubai to unveil a Rubens painting it plans to offer later this summer in a bid to tap into the hoped-for demand for Old Master paintings in the Middle East.
Call for help to find London underground map stolen from auction house
19 March 2018Transport Auctions of London is calling for the trade to look out for a stolen London Underground map.
Online sales hit ‘new high’ as market grows
19 March 2018Online channels are an increasing source of new buyers for both auction houses and dealers, despite the art and antiques sector being behind the wider economy when it comes to use of ecommerce, a new global report says.