Brexit

The British Hallmarking Council (BHC) is to raise concerns with the government about the impact of Brexit on antique gold and silver exports into the EU.

Green issues are coming to the fore but the focus for art and antiques delivery firms in the past year has been dealing with Brexit and the pandemic.

Bonhams has moved its annual Greek art auction to France from London following Brexit.

Art hub Cromwell Place has received approval from HMRC to operate an official Customs warehouse.

Trading with EU member states has become more difficult and expensive since the UK left the European Union, but one dealer may have found a way to avoid the bureaucratic hurdles.

MADAM – I run an online antiques business. I have now found that since January 1, 2021, when I export to the EU, my customers are having to pay additional import duties of between 18-25% on each order.

The UK government has confirmed to ATG that it has “no plans to make changes to either the rates of Artist’s Resale Right that are applied or how the levy operates” following the post-Brexit trade deal agreed with the EU.

When Freya Simms presented at a European art market conference in late January, forecasting what dealers should expect in 2021, the LAPADA chief executive illustrated her slides with an image of someone dragging a ball of red tape up the hill.

Brexit, CITES, new ivory act on the way… it can be hard for the UK art and antiques trade to keep up with the many regulations. However, the good news is that much of CITES has not changed fundamentally, as this update from expert Kim McDonald of The Taxidermy Law Company reveals

Approved by parliament on December 30, 2020, the long-awaited trade accord between the EU and the UK is an unwieldly 1300 pages long.

One of the pleasures of Daniel Crouch’s work life has been buying trips to the Continent – for the serendipity of making contacts as well as the chance to handle the goods.

Butchoff Antiques sells fine quality English and Continental furniture, mirrors and objects from its 3000 sq ft Kensington Church Street showroom and increasingly online.

A flexible attitude and eclectic tastes have kept William Thuillier dealing in pictures for 40 years

The UK has agreed to follow the existing Artist’s Resale Right (ARR) regulations under the Brexit trade deal that came into effect earlier this month.

Deal or no-deal, logistics firms are as prepared as they can be for any eventuality for Brexit post-December 31

A number of changes will affect the import and export of goods from January 1, 2021, when items moving between the UK and the EU will have to undergo customs formalities and border control, like any other country.

A government plan to end VAT-free shopping for international visitors next year will impact the UK art and antiques trade, say dealers.

For better or worse, Brexit is finally set to proceed and will be a major factor in the year ahead – as will timed auctions, anti-money laundering rules, the looming prospect of a near-total ivory trade ban, antiquities challenges and a new buying ethos based on cultural sensitivities, changes at major fairs and a growing ‘green’ movement.