Art & Advocacy, vol. 15, Spring/Summer 2013

Never underestimate the power of conventional wisdom. Although usually rooted in good reason, it is nonetheless capable of overruling common sense when the original logic outlives its usefulness. I believe that the economic value of fine art has become high enough, and that the risk of a title problem is real enough, that it is time for convention to change. Title insurance is readily available today, and should become a standard feature of art purchases (and loans, eventually), at least above a certain price point. I have been practicing transactional art law for the past five years, but I have