Who we are
Our law firm is entirely devoted to clients in the art world, the art market and the world of literature.
Alexis Fournol and his team regularly advise living artists, artists' estates, art galleries, collectors, auction houses and experts.
Our firm is composed of attorneys registered with the Paris Bar, with degree in art history, and particularly sensitive to the issues facing artists, their heirs and other major actors in the art market.
Alexis Fournol is one of the leading lawyers recognized in the field of art law and the art market. He is regularly invited to speak at conferences in France and abroad, and is a regular contributor to the French edition of The Art Newspaper. Alexis Fournol also works for many actors in the world of literary publishing, comics & graphic novels, and graphic design.
What we do
Our boutique law firm provides both a strong legal added value in this specialized field and recognized expertise in understanding the issues of the actors and the functioning of this particular sector that is the art market.
Our law firm provides advisory and litigation services.
Among the services offered by our law firm, we provide in particular:
- on all issues related to the authentication of works of art (for the benefit of artists, their heirs, specialists, authors of catalogues raisonnés or scholars, etc.)
- on all contractual issues encountered by artists (contract to commission a work of art, contract with an art gallery, contract to sell a work of art, etc.)
- on all copyright issues: defense of copyright, droit de suite (resale right), representation right, display right, exhibition right, reproductions of photographs, sculpture, paintings, design, etc.
- on all issues relating to the legality of private sales or auction sales (annulment, liability of the auction houses, experts, galleries, etc.)
- negotiation of book publication contracts & negotiation of the adaptation of any book into a film, television series or comic book, etc.
- implementation of any legal action for infringement against publishers, authors or third parties taking over the work without authorization,
Our law firm also supports our Clients in Belgium (Brussels), in defending their interests, whether in contract negotiations or in legal proceedings.
What we did in 2025
Criminal law relating to art and the art market
Defense of a professional association of art appraisers and dealers before the Pontoise Criminal Court in the criminal case of the fake 18th-century furniture from the Château de Versailles (civil party / joint plaintiff).
Defense of one of France's top ten auction houses in a preliminary investigation into allegations of money laundering involving several million euros.
Defense of a leading French dealer in criminal proceedings on charges including illicit trafficking in cultural goods, illicit importation of cultural goods into French territory, and money laundering.
Defense before an appeals court of a foreign collector accused of unjustified possession of cultural goods on French territory worth more than €1 million.
Defense of collectors, former art market professionals, accused by the French Central Office for the Fight against Illicit Traffic in Cultural Goods (OCBC) of possessing stolen works or counterfeits.
Defense of an artist's heirs before the Paris Court of Appeal to obtain the return of works of art from a former dealer on the grounds of alleged breach of trust.
Customs law applied to art and the art market (import, export, AML/CFT)
Defense of a dealer specializing in manuscripts and autograph documents before French customs authorities due to the alleged ownership of certain goods by the French state: charges dismissed.
Assisting numerous professionals in the art market (auction houses, gallery owners, antique dealers, merchants, numismatists) in bringing their activities into compliance with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing obligations (AML/CFT obligations). Our firm provides support on these issues to French and Belgian professionals (Brussels) as well as foreign professionals conducting transactions in France or Belgium.
Assistance to French, Belgium and foreign dealers and antique dealers in implementing new rules on the importation of works of art and collectibles into French, Belgium or European customs territory (Regulation (EU) 2019/880 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 on the introduction and the import of cultural goods)
Assisting numerous professionals in the art market (auction houses, gallery owners, antique dealers, numismatists) during inspections carried out by customs authorities to verify compliance with AML/CFT obligations.
Buying and selling art in France and in Belgium
Drafting of sales contracts and auction mandates in France and Belgium (galleries, antique dealers, auction houses)
Advice for an American seller regarding the auction in France of one of the three most important artworks sold in 2025 (more than fifteen million euros)
Defense of an American buyer to obtain the nullity of the sale of a work of art at auction in France (amount exceeding one million euros)
Ongoing litigation concerning the authenticity of works of art, antique furniture, or precious stones sold at public auction
Defense of French auction houses against claims for nullity or liability relating to the sale of works of art
Advice for foreign buyers on French and Belgian regulations in the context of negotiating the sale of works of art and fine art objects
Our firm is located in Paris near the Museum of Romantic Life, in the famous New Athens district, between Hotel Drouot and Pigalle, between our clientele of auctioneers and experts and our clientele of artists.
+33 1 86 95 78 11 - cabinet[@]fournol-avocat.fr