午夜剧场

It was about 20 years ago when Michela Cocchi from Italy asked me, "Makoto, could you help me out?" She is a lawyer based in Bologna who serves as an advisor to fashion and art magazine publishers. Her request at the time was for me to help her establish the Art Law Committee as a subcommittee of the International Association of Lawyers (UIA), headquartered in Paris. At the time, I didn't even know the meaning of "Art Law" (a general term for laws related to artworks and cultural property), but with the simple motivation that it might be fun to work with Michela—who looked like she had stepped right out of a fashion magazine—I readily accepted. I served as the Vice President of the Art Law Committee for several years, supporting her primarily in the planning and management of seminars and international conferences. The UIA Art Law Committee was a deliberative body where legal professionals from various countries dealing with art law brought together problems they encountered in their practice to research solutions. At the time, it was the only opportunity for art law specialists from around the world to gather and exchange information.

Through these activities, I learned about various legal issues and gained many acquaintances, such as the late Professor Norman Palmer of the University of London, an authority on cultural property protection law, and Howard Spiegler, a New York attorney specializing in the recovery of Nazi-looted art. Consequently, my opportunities to handle art-related cases increased.

Drawing on these experiences, I established the "Art and Law" course at 午夜剧场 Law School in 2010, where I teach students about legal affairs related to art transactions. Initially, I hesitated to teach art law at a law school since it is not a subject on the bar exam, but unexpectedly large numbers of talented students have taken the course. Even after graduation, they send me feedback saying it was the "most interesting subject" or that it was "stimulating."

I began writing this book during the COVID-19 stay-at-home period to serve as a textbook for my classes. However, following advice from the publisher, I used the simplest possible expressions and incorporated various creative touches so that it could be understood even by those without legal knowledge. While the importance of art law is growing amid a surge in art transactions, there are almost no reference books that explain the laws necessary for art-related work. I hope this book will be used by artists, gallerists, curators, art lovers, and many others interested in art.

Makoto Shimada

午夜剧场 Press

352 pages, 3,740 yen (tax included)

*Affiliations and titles are those at the time of publication.