Caecilia Dance

Solicitor

Art & Luxury

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Expertise

Caecilia advises artists, collectors, galleries, auction houses, artists’ estates and other art market participants on a broad range of issues relating to the art and luxury world. She has experience of advising on buying and selling art and luxury assets (including classic cars), artists’ rights, IP, import and export, art finance, AML and sanctions, and issues around authenticity of artworks. Caecilia has a particular interest in the restitution of Nazi-looted art and cultural heritage more generally.

While her practice is predominantly non-contentious, Caecilia also advises on art disputes, having gained extensive commercial litigation experience in a previous role.

 

Career History

Caecilia joined Wedlake Bell in September 2024, having trained and practised for three years at the London office of a US law firm. Her practice focused on art and cultural property restitution claims and commercial litigation.

 

Caecilia holds a First Class degree from Oxford in History and Modern Languages and an LLM with Distinction from Queen Mary University of London in Art, Business and Law. Her LLM dissertation was on the subject of avenues and prospects to restitution and reparations for Russia’s destruction of Ukrainian cultural heritage in the current conflict.

 

Caecilia is a member of the Art Lawyers Association (ALA), Association of Women in the Arts (AWITA), Professional Advisors to the International Art Market (PAIAM) and the Institute of Art and Law (IAL).

Additional Information

Languages:

 

  • German (full professional proficiency)
  • Russian (limited working proficiency)

News

Wedlake Bell Art & Luxury team discusses the return of looted treasure in The Observer

Partner Tim Maxwell and solicitor Caecilia Dance spoke to The Observer about the return of looted treasure to countries of origin and how the move may solve the reparations question.Read more