Hauser & Wirth Cleared in UK Russia Sanctions Case
Southwark Crown Court dismissed charges against the gallery's UK subsidiary and art shipper Artay Rauchwerger Solomons after finding insufficient evidence that a collector was connected to Russia under the relevant sanctions rules
Hauser & Wirth gallery in London, pictured here in 2013. The specific exhibition or artists shown are not implicit in the sanctions allegations. Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons.
A London court has dismissed sanctions charges against the UK subsidiary of Hauser & Wirth and the art shipping company Artay Rauchwerger Solomons, bringing to a close a case relating to the sale of a work by George Condo.
The companies were charged last November following an investigation by the UK tax authority. Prosecutors alleged that Hauser & Wirth's London gallery had made Condo's Escape from Humanity (2021), a work on paper, available to collector Alexander Popov, who was alleged to be a person "connected with Russia", in breach of UK sanctions prohibiting the export of luxury goods to the country.
At a hearing on 9 July, Southwark Crown Court dismissed the case after finding there was insufficient evidence to establish that Popov was resident in Russia at the time of the transaction, an element central to the prosecution's case.
In a statement following the ruling, Hauser & Wirth said: "We are delighted that the court has dismissed the case against our UK gallery in its entirety. From the outset, we strongly contested these proceedings and denied any wrongdoing. We continue to be fully committed to complying with all our legal obligations including with respect to sanctions. We are pleased that this matter is now closed."
The case was one of the first high-profile prosecutions involving the UK art market under sanctions introduced after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Its dismissal leaves unresolved broader questions about how sanctions compliance is interpreted and enforced in cross-border art transactions.
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