Arts & Antiques

Rawlinson & Hunter has been at the forefront of the provision of tax and accounting advice to the art world since our formation over eighty years ago.

We act for leading artists, galleries & dealers on their underlying businesses and specific transactions. Many of our private clients are also avid collectors and we advise them regularly on transactional practicalities.

We provide intelligent, well thought out and practical advice on the financial aspects of art transactions. Our unrivalled experience in advising on complex issues, often involving a number of jurisdictions with their associated tax implications, has given us a unique understanding of the requirements of those at the business end of the art world as well as collectors.

Our services for clients typically cover:

  • The structuring of trusts and other holding vehicles for the acquisition and long term ownership of art.
  • Accounting and tax compliance support for art-related businesses ranging from full day-to-day involvement in management accounting, payroll and VAT services through to the annual audit and corporate tax process.
  • Tax advice on international cross-border aspects of art related transactions including, amongst other things, complex VAT analysis, personal tax considerations for non-domiciled individuals and transfer pricing issues for international gallery groups.
  • VAT & ARR mitigation advice relating to the purchase/ sale of works of art both within the EU and outside the EU.
  • IT support for the creation and maintenance of complex art (and other asset) databases for businesses and also individual collectors.

Our experience has shown that having an in-depth knowledge of the EU VAT rules relating to art, and an understanding our clients’ affairs, assists in tailoring transactions to meet the needs of the client. Fundamentally however, whilst art is increasingly seen as an “asset class”, it is principally there to be enjoyed and we never lose sight of this in providing our pragmatic advice.

We have more information on this service available through our dedicated micro-site, https://art-accountants.co.uk