Client suggested purchasing an antiquity and the trustee asked Cadell for a second opinion. Cadell’s sector expert’s initial review of the provenance highlighted that the work had previously been in a collection which was known to contain other works with questionable provenance. Further detailed research was then undertaken, along with interviews of all owners since […]

The principal beneficiary had negotiated what he thought was a great deal with a gallery for a work by an established artist. The asking price was over $30m so the trustee turned to Cadell for a second opinion before signing. Cadell’s sector expert quickly established that the work was not from the sought-after series the […]

The family involved wanted to sell a large collection of modest value and had identified a local auction house to handle the sale of all 300 items. Cadell’s sector experts identified a number of works that could benefit from being marketed by a world-class auction house. The competitive tender process endorsed this advice leading to […]

This particular client needed funds quickly, but his lawyer knew the large collection lacked a basic inventory and much of the necessary paperwork. KYA (Know Your Art), like KYC (Know Your Client), is critical to a smooth and successful process. Cadell’s project managers actively created files on each work from the moment of engagement to […]

The principal beneficiary had been active in the art world for years and was confident of the integrity of his art dealer’s advice on the sale of his important collection. Invited by the trustee to comment, Cadell disassembled the previous advice and helped show the upsides of an alternative competitive process, laying out all the […]

Finding truly independent advice to assist in separating works to be placed in museums from those to be sold was the situation that the trustees, lawyers and beneficiaries faced. The concern was that so many ‘traditional advisers’ would have an interest in maximising the number of works to be sold. Cadell relies on repeat business […]

The trustee was faced with a situation where there was litigation between 3 of the parties involved within the structure, and as the structure was ‘dry’, the art collection needed to be sold to fund the litigation. However all parties had their own ideas on how they wanted to sell the collection, leading to a […]

The client is an established name in the art world, sitting on a number of Museum Boards. She had built up a significant collection of contemporary art but recognised that conflicts of interest are endemic in the art market and didn’t feel comfortable with the advisers, auction houses and dealers who made contact when she […]