The Art Law Podcast

jsantos@schlaw.com

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Museum Provenance Curation and David Drake the Potter

June 15, 2026

Steve and Katie speak with their colleague and return guest Tom Kline and special guest Victoria Reed, the renowned Provenance Curator at the MFA Boston, about the status of provenance research and ownership review at US museums and also the first of its kind agreement between MFA Boston and the descendants of enslaved potter David Drake (aka Dave the Potter) resolving the ownership of two of Drake's monumental stoneware vessels.   Notes for this episode: https://artlawpodcast.com/2026/06/15/...

Ninth Circuit Greenlights Tattoo Copying of Photographs (of Miles Davis at least)

April 27, 2026

Katie and Steve speak with esteemed copyright lawyer Nancy Wolff about the Ninth Circuit case Sedlik v. Von Drachenberg, in which photographer Jeffrey Sedlik sued celebrity tattoo artist Kat Von D for copyright infringement related to her inking a copy of his photographic portrait of Miles Davis on a friend's arm and publicizing the process on social media. They discuss the Ninth Circuit's unique approach to copyright infringement in applying a subjective (jury-determined) test for substantia...

Barnes Part II: The Legal Battles

February 17, 2026

Katie and Steve continue discussing the Barnes Foundation with attorney Ralph Wellington, who represented the Barnes Foundation during its successful but extremely controversial multi-year effort to amend its founding documents and create a new arts education center in Philadelphia. They discuss the origins of the Foundation, its governing documents, financial struggles, and evolution over the many decades since Albert Barnes' death in 1951, as well as the legal doctrines at play in "breaking...