Foreign artist: the right reflexes to have in case of economic difficulties of his or her French gallery
You are a foreign artist whose works are now in the hands of a French gallery (in Paris or another French city) and you are worried about the economic future of the gallery. Similarly, your gallery has sold many artworks without you being paid yet and you are worried that you will never get the payment due.
When an art gallery encounters significant economic difficulties, French law provides for various legal procedures that involve rapid intervention on the part of the gallery's creditors and thus the artists that the gallery represents.
There is therefore a real difficulty for foreign artists who could not be informed in time of the administrative procedures that need to be carried out. The time limits for asserting claims - resulting from non-payment of sales of works - and for requesting the return of works are very short (two to three months maximum, depending on the hypothesis envisaged).
Moreover, the procedures to be followed to assert one's rights may seem even more complex for foreign artists, especially when they are not familiar with the French language or the complexity of the French administration.
This is why our law firm can provide the necessary monitoring regarding the economic health or difficulties encountered by the gallery representing your interests and act very quickly for your benefit.
Similarly, if you have no news from your gallery in these difficult times, we can accompany you to make your voice heard and demand to have precise information on the location of your works and on the exact amount of money that could be owed to you.
Finally, particular difficulties may exist when your works have entered France as temporary imports if you wish to bring them back to your studio. Special steps must be taken and significant fees may be charged by the customs administration.
Our law firm, based in Paris and specialized in art law and artists' rights, can accompany you in all the necessary steps.