Dinner Meeting: Authenticity in the Visual Arts

Date: Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Time: 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Location: Santa Ana Country Club / 20382 Newport Boulevard / Santa Ana 92707
Speaker: Ronald D. Spencer, Esq.

CDI Course Number: 280568

How authenticity is judged is a question worth asking because decisions made privately (all the time, by experts, scholars, curators, dealers, sellers and lawyers) about authenticity can eventually end up in court, where the question of authenticity will be decided by the judge. 

Ronald D. Spencer specializes in art law and foundation law and is counsel and head of the Art Law Practice Group at the law firm of Carter Ledyard & Milburn LLP in New York City.  He graduated from Brown University, cum laude, in 1961, from Yale Law School in 1964 and attended The London School of Economics and the University of Paris Law School.

Mr. Spencer is legal counsel to The Pollock-Krasner Foundation, the largest American private foundation devoted solely to aiding needy and worthy visual artists.  He has also been legal counsel to several committees of art authentication experts, The Pollock-Krasner Authentication Board and the Jacob Lawrence catalogue raisonné project, and is legal counsel to the Andy Warhol Arth Authentication Board. He is expert in the legal aspects of art authentication issues, advising, for example, owners, buyers and sellers of art, as well as art scholars and art authentication committees and authors of catalogues raisonnés, such as the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation, the Richard Diebenkorn catalogue raisonné project and the Yves Tanguy catalogue raisonné project of the Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation.  He has helped several authentication committees and boards successfully defend against calims involving their catalogues raisonnés and their art authentication procedures. 

Mr. Spencer is editor of Spencer's Art Law Journal published on ARTNET.com three times per year.  The publication deals with legal issues of practical significance for collectors, dealers, scholars and the art-minded public.

Mr. Spencer is a Trustee of The Lachaise Foundation, concerned with the art of the late sculptor, Gaston Lachaise.  He is a long-time member of the Art Law Committee and a past member of the Charitable Organizations Committee of the New York Bar Association.  He is a former member of the Advisory Council of the Appraisers Association of America. 

Mr. Spencer is founder and Chairman of the Fund for Park Avenue which plants tulips, and landscapes Park Avenue Malls from 53rd Street to 86th Street in Manhattan.  He is a member of the Sculpture Committee of the Fund which selects contemporary sculpture for exhibition on these landscaped Park Avenue medians.

Note: This program qualifies for 1-hour of Attorney, CFP, CPA, Insurance, Professional Fiduciary and Trust Officer continuing education credit. 

Meeting Sponsor

See Upcoming Event Calendar