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Law and Crime

Reporting on the legal and criminal dimensions of the art world — from restitution and forgery to fraud, theft, censorship, and court filings that shape cultural accountability.

Law and Crime

Reporting on the legal and criminal dimensions of the art world — from restitution and forgery to fraud, theft, censorship, and court filings that shape cultural accountability.

Law and Crime   -   Oct 30, 2025 German police bust crime ring selling forged Picasso, Old Master paintings
Framed artwork resembling Pablo Picasso’s portrait “Marie-Thérèse Walter,” displayed on an easel with a label indicating it was offered for sale at €35–60 million

Police raided locations across Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein earlier this month and seized "a large number" of works.

Government and Cultural Heritage   -   Oct 29, 2025 Trump asks Supreme Court to let him fire Shira Perlmutter
Donald Trump sits at a desk in the Oval Office, reading a document with an American flag and presidential seal visible behind him.

The dispute determines who ultimately guides copyright policies impacting artists and leads the agency forward in the age of artificial intelligence.

Left: Scrimshaw engraving of a person. Top right: Necklace with large circular gemstone and smaller orange bead on a black cord. Bottom right: metallic necklace
Law and Crime   -   Oct 30, 2025 Thieves steal over 1,000 Native American artifacts from Oakland Museum

The burglars broke into the Oakland Museum’s off-site storage facility just before 3:30 a.m. local time on October 15.

by Adam Schrader
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Law and Crime   -   Oct 30, 2025 Thieves steal over 1,000 Native American artifacts from Oakland Museum
Left: Scrimshaw engraving of a person. Top right: Necklace with large circular gemstone and smaller orange bead on a black cord. Bottom right: metallic necklace

The burglars broke into the Oakland Museum’s off-site storage facility just before 3:30 a.m. local time on October 15.

by Adam Schrader
Law and Crime   -   Oct 30, 2025 German police bust crime ring selling forged Picasso, Old Master paintings
Framed artwork resembling Pablo Picasso’s portrait “Marie-Thérèse Walter,” displayed on an easel with a label indicating it was offered for sale at €35–60 million

Police raided locations across Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein earlier this month and seized "a large number" of works.

by Adam Schrader
Government and Cultural Heritage   -   Oct 29, 2025 Trump asks Supreme Court to let him fire Shira Perlmutter
Donald Trump sits at a desk in the Oval Office, reading a document with an American flag and presidential seal visible behind him.

The dispute determines who ultimately guides copyright policies impacting artists and leads the agency forward in the age of artificial intelligence.

by Adam Schrader
Law and Crime   -   Oct 28, 2025 Beanie Babies billionaire Ty Warner sues Santa Barbara museum
Exterior view of the Ty Warner Sea Center, a two-story light blue building on Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara, with “Ty Warner Sea Center” signage visible above the pier.

Warner was allegedly told his name would be removed from the Ty Warner Sea Center after he pleaded guilty to tax evasion in 2013.

by Adam Schrader
Law and Crime   -   Oct 28, 2025 ‘Real Housewives’ star sues artist Mickalene Thomas over ‘abusive work environment’
A screenshot of a photograph and artwork depicting Racquel Chevremont as seen in a lawsuit she filed against artist Mickalene Thomas alleging an abusive work environment.

Racquel Chevremont alleges that she was subjected to domestic violence, years of verbal abuse and financial exploitation by her ex-fiancée.

by Adam Schrader
Law and Crime   -   Oct 27, 2025 Tracking art lawsuits and legal disputes: The Urgent Matter database
A bird flies past the scales of Lady Justice atop a courthouse dome

A running record of lawsuits shaping the art world, maintained by Urgent Matter.

by Adam Schrader
Law and Crime   -   Oct 26, 2025 Brazilian police raid Almeida & Dale gallery
Badge of the São Paulo Civil Police featuring a gold shield with laurel branches, a red and black striped emblem, and the words “Polícia Civil SP” on a black background.

The raid stemmed from a civil dispute rooted in the 2006 sale of three works by Alfredo Volpi brokered by gallery cofounder Carlos Dale.

by Adam Schrader
Law and Crime   -   Oct 24, 2025 Picasso painting that went missing in Spain recovered by police
Picasso painting that went missing in Spain recovered by police

Police said the painting may have never made it onto the transport truck to take it from Madrid to Granada.

by Adam Schrader
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