The ALA Annual Conference 2026

The Art Lawyers Association is delighted to welcome members to the ALA Annual Conference 2026, taking place on Friday, 20 November 2026 at Queen’s House, 55–56 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London.

Bringing together leading practitioners and experts from across the legal, museum and art market communities, this year’s conference will provide a forum for discussion, debate and the exchange of perspectives on some of the key issues currently affecting the sector.

The conference will open with a keynote address by Gabriele Finaldi, The National Gallery at 200: Crossing the threshold into our third century, followed by six panel discussions.

The programme will explore the evolving role of private philanthropy in supporting public collections; developments and risks in art finance; the challenges faced by museum general counsel across different jurisdictions; the regulatory landscape surrounding art as an investment; the intergenerational transfer of major collections; and the effectiveness of moral rights in protecting artists and their work.

The conference will be followed by a Champagne Reception and Dinner at the Savile Club in the evening.

Please see the full programme below:

Programme

09:35–09:55

Welcome & Keynote

Gabriele Finaldi

The National Gallery at 200: Crossing the threshold into our third century.

10:00–10:45

Panel 1: Private means, public ends: the legal architecture of philanthropy

With public funding in decline, this session considers the contemporary importance of private giving to the financial health of national collections, and how best to approach these key relationships from a legal perspective. Bringing together panellists from both sides of the Atlantic, it will examine the legal frameworks governing charitable giving in the UK and US (and between them), and reflect on themes and trends around donor expectations and institutional governance.

Moderator: Paul Jones (Farrer & Co)

Speakers:

1. Laetitia Ransley – Partner (Charity & Community) Farrer & Co

2. John Sare – Retired Partner (Tax-Exempt Organizations), Patterson Belknap

3. Richard Barnett – General Counsel, The National Gallery

10:45–11:30

Panel 2: Monetising Masterpieces: Promise, Peril and Portfolio Strategy

This panel will discuss art finance and, in particular, the effects of geopolitical and economic instability on the art lending market and, crucially, what happens when things go wrong. We will consider the perspectives of different types of lenders and borrowers and take into account the art market and the importance of different advice and market knowledge at all stages.

Moderator: Bethan Waters, Farrer & Co

Speakers: Damian Leslie – Christie’s Art Finance. Further speakers to be confirmed.

11:30–12:00 | Break

12:00–12:45

Panel 3: The Global Museum General Counsel: Managing Risk Across Four Continents

This panel brings together general counsel from leading museums in the United States, United Kingdom, Europe and the Middle East for a candid, practitioner-to-practitioner conversation about the legal questions their institutions face most often. Structured for direct comparison across jurisdictions, the session will explore both recurring and emerging challenges and offer a rare, behind-the-scenes look at how the world’s major institutions manage legal risk from the inside.

Moderator: Tara Gonsowski – Gonsowski Law

Speakers:

1. Laurie Frey – British Museum

2. Mona Ahmed – Qatar Museums

3. Adine Varah – General Counsel, SFMOMA

4. Annegret Kammerman – Kunsthaus Zurich

12:45–13:40 | Lunch

13:45–14:30

Panel 4: Outside the Frame: Art-as-Investment and the Regulatory Perimeter

Galleries increasingly sell works to buyers on the promise of a return, and regulators in the UK and Europe are beginning to take notice. This panel considers where such offerings sit against the UK regulatory perimeter, drawing on the ASA’s recent rulings against galleries and on Consob’s intervention in Italy against a company guaranteeing returns on art. Bringing together advertising, financial services and art market perspectives, it will ask what protection retail buyers have, and whether the current position is the right one.

Moderator: To be confirmed

Speakers:

1. Michael Lewis – Womble Bond Dickinson

2. Rocco Lanzavecchia – Martini Manna & Partners, Milan

3. Louise Hogan – Co-lead of Financial Workstream, Advertising Standards Agency

14:30–15:15

Panel 5: The Great Art Transfer: Managing the Intergenerational Handover of Collections

As an unprecedented transfer of major art collections to the next generation gathers pace, our panel will examine the complex mix of legal, financial, practical and emotional considerations faced by owners and advisers in managing this transition.

Our experts will analyse the challenges, opportunities and risks this poses in areas such as succession planning, tax, philanthropy and the future of private collections. We will consider how families and advisers can balance preservation, value and legacy.

Moderator: Isabel Kerber – Farrer & Co

Speakers:

1. Anastasia Tennant MBE – Partner, Tennant McQuillan LLP

2. Mustafa Hussain – Managing Director (London), Accuro

3. Elizabeth Kubanik – Partner, Sullivan & Cromwell

   
   

15:15–15:45 | Break

15:45–16:30

Panel 6: Moral Rights – are they doing any good?

A debate on the effectiveness of moral rights in protecting artists’ reputations and the integrity of their works. Have they provided a valuable weapon to artists to date, and what can they achieve in an increasingly anonymous and uncontrollable online world?

The panel will also consider alternative rights artists could use to protect their works and reputations.

Moderator: Stephanie Wickenden – Serle Court

Speaker: Lionel Bentley. Further speakers to be confirmed.

19:00 | Champagne Reception and Dinner

Savile Club

Cancellation Policy: If you can no longer attend the conference or dinner please inform us as soon as possible by contacting [email address]. We will give refunds for any cancellations notified prior to 6 November. For any cancellations notified after this date, we will refund the cost of tickets only if we are able to reallocate them to another attendee. Reallocation of dinner tickets will not be possible if notice is given after 17 November due to the need to confirm dietary requirements. All refunds will be subject to a 10% administration fee.