202.01 Art Law

This course will cover a number of intersections between the law and the people and institutions who constitute the world of the visual arts, including artists, museums, collectors, dealers, and auctioneers. The course will also cover non-legal material geared to shaping practices of art market participants, such as codes and guidelines adopted by art-museum associations, as well as some relevant literature from other academic disciplines. Specific topics will include: (1) contexts in which a legal institution must determine whether a particular object is a work of "art" or art of a particular type; (2) artists' rights, including statutory and non-statutory moral rights and resale rights; (3) problems of authenticity; (4) the legal rights and duties of auctioneers, art dealers, and other intermediaries; (5) the legal structure of art museums, including issues of internal management and governance; (6) stolen art, including objects looted during World War II; and (7) developments in law and industry practice relevant to "cultural heritage," the association of particular objects with particular places or societies.

Students will be required to participate in class discussions, and will have the option of writing a 25-30-page research paper OR taking a take-home exam. Paper topics must be approved by the instructor, who will be glad to make suggestions (some of which will involve local field research). To the extent feasible under the circumstances in Fall 2020, we will have individual in-person (one-on-one) meetings to discuss paper topics and interim progress. If that’s not feasible, the meetings will be via Zoom.

There are no prerequisites for the course. Although some background in intellectual property (copyright and trademark law) would be helpful, none is required. A set of readings will be distributed prior to the first meeting of the class. Before then, a complete updated syllabus will be posted. Our in-class sessions in Fall 2020 will be enriched through the (virtual) participation of guest experts.

Fall 2020

Course Number Course Credits Evaluation Method Instructor
202.01
Course Credits
Final Exam, option
Research paper option, 25+ pages
Class participation
Deborah A. DeMott
Sakai site: https://sakai.duke.edu/portal/site/LAW.202.01.F20
Email list: LAW.202.01.F20@sakai.duke.edu
Course
Course
Degree Requirements
Course Requirements - JD
Course Requirements - LLM
Course Areas of Practice