French Senate's 1895 Art Fraud Law Set for Long-Awaited Reform

A French legislative reform targeting art fraud, first proposed by Senator Bernard Fialaire and passed by the Senate in March 2023, may finally advance in September 2026. The current law, enacted in 1895 following a scandal involving a fake Corot sold to Alexandre Dumas fils, is widely considered obsolete. It only covers traditional media like painting, sculpture, drawing, and engraving, leaving contemporary practices such as photography unprotected. The proposed reform aims to expand the law's scope to include all artistic productions, address forgeries produced by artificial intelligence, and increase penalties for counterfeiters. Currently, maximum sanctions are two years' imprisonment and a €75,000 fine, which are seen as insufficiently dissuasive. The new law would also allow courts to ban convicted professionals from practicing. The bill's progress was stalled by the 2024 dissolution of the National Assembly and ministerial changes, but Fialaire is optimistic about resuming discussions in September. The reform has broad cross-party support and is eagerly awaited by art market professionals, including galleries, experts, auctioneers, and artists' rights holders.