Reminder: Please contact the chair as soon as possible, stating three topic preferences.

On April 10, at 6 p.m., there will be an approximately one-hour information event in RAI-H-041, where you will be informed about the writing process and about the provisional program for the seminar in Venice. You will also have the opportunity to connect with each other.

The conditions for artistic creation have been changing for quite some time. The art market, its players and its forums have developed new forms of interaction with artists. This has gone hand in hand with new forms of artistic creation, for example in the form of so-called non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and AI is increasingly becoming a challenge and also an inspiration for artistic creation. These developments also pose new challenges for the law and legal knowledge. This applies not only to copyright law, but can also be seen in the growing importance of foundation and inheritance law. These developments point to a change in the perception of art and the role of artists. The seminar will explore these phenomena.

The following questions, in particular, are considered seminar topics:

1. The care of the artist's estate by the gallery
2. Collection and foundation of art
3. The management of artists
4. The role of the collector in the art market
5. Phenomenologies of the art market: from Art Basel to the Berlin Gallery Weekend
6. The role of the gallery in the art market
7. The role of institutions and museums
8. Art auctions and auction houses
9. The secondary market and the question of its regulation
10. Digitization / Postmodernism - creator and creation in NFT
11. AI - art or technical gimmick?
12. “The Artist is present” - Abramovic, Nitsch, Imhof, McCarthy & Co. - on the question of copyright in the case of concept and performance art
13. Man Ray, Eggleston, Gurksy, Becher, Tillmanns, Struth... Photography, art and copyright
14. “The big holdout”? - Looted art and restitution in Germany and Switzerland

Further topics - in particular as master's theses - can be arranged. To submit your preferred topics (please submit at least three topics), please contact the Chair of Thier by email by April 30, 2025.

Note: The theses will be written in German; for special requests, please contact us as early as possible.

The seminar is aimed at students pursuing the BLaw and MLaw degrees. Master's theses under the supervision of Prof. Thier are possible; participation in the seminar is mandatory.

A graded certificate of achievement will be issued if (1.) a seminar paper is submitted, (2.) an oral presentation on the seminar paper is given and (3.) both parts have been graded 4.0 or better overall. The seminar paper counts for about 70% and is to be submitted by September 18, 2025. The oral performance also includes participation in the discussion in the seminar.

The seminar is planned as a block seminar and will take place in Venice from October 16 to 18, 2025 (The return journey is planned for June 19). The supporting program will be announced in due course.

The accommodation is still being finalized. We are seeking funding for the seminar and the students, but at this point in time, these cannot yet be guaranteed.

Overall, participants should expect costs of approximately CHF 700.00 per person. This amount is currently an estimate and may vary depending on room occupancy (single, double or triple occupancy) and arrival and departure (GA, half-fare or individual arrival or departure). Local transportation is the responsibility of the students.

Please let us know if you have any special requests or plans regarding accommodation and/or arrival and departure. In particular, please let us know whether you are happy to share a room with other course participants or would prefer your own room.