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Chiara Gallo

Chiara

PhD Student

Email: c.gallo@qmul.ac.uk

Profile

Thesis Title

Copyright Exceptions and the Art Market: AI as a tool for Art Conservation, Authentication and Evaluation 

Supervisors

Summary of Research

This PhD project critically addresses the copyright considerations when it comes to AI authentication and conservation. This is done through an interdisciplinary study that addresses doctrinal and comparative research in relation to the relevant legal instruments in some of the most significant art market jurisdictions, on the one hand, and art market and conservation studies, in relation to the role of authentication and evaluation practices, ad how new technologies dedicated to scientific analysis are shaping the art market.

This research aims to determine whether the text-and-data mining exception can be adapted to widen the range of works available for AI training datasets applied to art conservation and evaluation procedures (including authentication, insurance, restoration and price evaluation) or whether an ad hoc licensing system should be implemented. The goal of the research is to understand what it means for an artwork or cultural object to be authentic, and how the use of new technologies could contribute to enhanced transparency and a more sustainable art market and cultural system. In order to respond to this objective, the research will consider the current status of the art market in the digital age, by specifically addressing the role of artificial intelligence tools as applied to both the commercial art market and the cultural sector, and the role of copyright within AI art analysis and evaluation practices, while balancing the rights of artists and creators and the safeguards aimed at preventing the circulation of fakes and forgeries in the market.

Biography

Chiara Gallo is a PhD researcher at the Centre for Commercial Law Studies within the School of Law, Queen Mary University of London, and collaborates with the Queen Mary Intellectual Property Research Institute and the FIVE LEAF Institute for Law and Aesthetics. She holds an LLM in Art, Business and Law from Queen Mary University of London and an MA Law from the University of Law (Bloomsbury). She obtained a Bachelor's degree in European and Comparative law from Maastricht University, the Netherlands.

Chiara’s experience in research includes working as a Research Assistant to Prof Debbie De Girolamo (QMUL) in 2023, assisting with research for publications and projects in collaboration with the Institute of Art and Law, (co-)authoring journal articles in the field of cultural heritage and intellectual property for the creative and cultural sectors, co-organising conferences on the regulation of cultural heritage and on IP within the creative industries, and managing events focusing on careers in the arts. Beyond research, between 2024 and 2025, she worked within the Art & Luxury Law team at the London law firm Wedlake Bell LLP, where she worked, among other matters, on a major legal advisory project aimed at benefiting the art market and cultural sectors internationally. Additionally, she worked within the Global Copyright Team at Christie’s auction house in 2025–2026, contributing to the publication of eleven auction catalogues and to sales of works by record-breaking female surrealist artists and of the Roger & Josette Vanthournout collection, a Belgian collection which spanned six decades of modern and contemporary art collecting. Other relevant collaborations include the All About Art Podcast as Events and Project Officer, Fashion Law London as Engagement Officer, and The IPKat as a blog contributor.

Chiara is a recipient of the Herchel Smith Scholarship Award, which supports exceptional full-time doctoral research in the field of Intellectual Property. As shown by her work, she has a particular interest in combining her knowledge of the law and her passion for the arts, especially in relation to topics concerning the influence of new technological developments on cultural heritage, entertainment and intellectual property rights. Her current research considers the role of copyright in the use of AI tools for art governance and authentication. Her passion for the creative and cultural sectors extends beyond the law, considering her dedication to working and contributing directly to the commercial art market and cultural organisations, by contributing research to projects aimed at benefiting (the next generation of) art professionals and at filling the current gaps within cultural knowledge, especially from a copyright perspective.

Publications

Journal Articles

  • “Colour Trade Marks as Non-Traditional Marks” (2026) 2 Harvard Art Law Review 75.
  • “Vatican Rules: Cultural Collections, Inalienability and the Power of the Pope” (2024) 29(2) Art Antiquity and Law 101, coauthored with Alexander Herman, Director of the Institute of Art and Law.
  • “The Limits on the Commercial Reproduction of Italian Cultural Heritage” (2023) 28(4) Art Antiquity and Law 299.
  • “Fictional Characters and Their Protection under Intellectual Property Law” (2023) 2(2) Atlas Law Journal 80.
  • “Influencer Advertising and Disclosure” (2023) 2(1) Atlas Law Journal 88.

Blog Posts and Short Articles

  • “Stolen Cézanne, Matisse and Renoir Works Recovered in Italy” (September 18, 2025, The Institute of Art and Law).
  • “‘Beyond Doubt’: Report on Provenance Seminar Presented by the Institute of Art & Law and Pinsent Masons” (September 30, 2025, The Institute of Art and Law).
  • “[Guest Post] [Conference Report] Botticelli v Warhol – 2025 Cultural Heritage Conference in Florence (Day 1)” (July 3, 2025, The IPKat).
  • “[Guest Post] [Conference Report] Botticelli v Warhol – 2025 Cultural Heritage Conference in Florence (Day 2)” (July 3, 2025, The IPKat).
  • “Michelangelo Pistoletto’s Terzo Paradiso: A Case of Dual Protection Under Copyright and Trade Mark Law” (April 24, 2025, The Institute of Art and Law).
  • “Guardians of Cultural Heritage: Inside the Art Squad” (February 13, 2025, The Institute of Art and Law).
  • “The Second Chapter of the Vitruvian Man Dispute and Other Developments in the Italian Cultural Heritage Framework” (Jun 24, 2024, The Institute of Art and Law).
  • “The 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage comes into force in the United Kingdom” (Jun 11, 2024, Wedlake Bell).
  • “Steamboat Willie’s Mickey Mouse Has Entered the Public Domain: The End of a Copyrighted Era” (Feb 5, 2024, The Institute of Art and Law).
  • “[Conference Report] More Than Just a Game – London 2023” (Jul 7, 2023, The IPKat).
  • “The Vitruvian Man highlights puzzling elements of Italian Cultural Heritage laws” (Apr 24, 2023, The Institute of Art and Law).
  • “Sentiti Libera: from street art in Genoa to the Manifesto Dress at Sanremo Music Festival 2023” (Feb 20, 2023, The IPKat).
  • “The Perpetual Copyright Protection of Italian Cultural Heritage: Bypassing the Public Domain” (Dec 2, 2022, The Institute of Art and Law).

Research contributions

  • Aleksandra Czubek, Rok Popov Ledinski, “AI in legal work: What is used and creates value and what is just noise” (April 2026, Legal AI Workflow Stack).
  • Alexandra Steinacker-Clark, Working in Art. How to build a career in the art world (Hachette UK, 2026).
  • Alexander Herman, The Parthenon Marbles Dispute. Heritage, Law, Politics (Hart Publishing, 2023).

Conference Contributions

  • ‘Diploma in Intellectual Property and Collections’ in collaboration with the Institute of Art and Law (June 2025, Online).
  • ‘Botticelli v. Warhol: Comparative perspectives on the use of cultural heritage images’ in collaboration with the European University Institute, Soprintendenza Archeologica Belle Arti e Paesaggio – Firenze, Pistoia and Prato, University of Florence, University of Palermo, University of Insubria, University of Stockholm. (Part of the Scientific Organising Committee and Social Media and Engagement Management, June 2025, European University Institute, Florence)
  • ‘Future We Want Module United Nations – London 2025 Edition’ in collaboration with Italian Diplomatic Academy and Future We Want Model United Nations (March 2025, Marble Arch Double Tree Hotel, London).
  • ‘Fashion Reborn: the Age of AI’ in collaboration with Fashion Law London and Bird & Bird (Engage Management, May 2024, Bird & Bird, London).
  • ‘All About Art Careers Conference’ in collaboration with All About Art Podcast (Project and Event Management, April 2024, Berntson Bhattacharjee Gallery, London).
  • ‘The Parthenon Marbles Dispute: Book Launch’ in collaboration with the Institute of Art and Law and Queen Mary University of London (September 2023, Queen Mary University of London, Centre for Commercial Law Studies, London).
  • ‘20 Years of the IPKat’ in collaboration with the IPKat and Allen & Overy (June 2023, Allen & Overy, London).
  • ‘Authenticity, Attribution and the Law’ in collaboration with the Institute of Art and Law and Stephenson Harwood LLP (March 2023, Stephenson Harwood LLP, London).
  • ‘The Restitution Dialogues: Exploring the Vatican Archives’ in collaboration with the Institute of Art and Law, Trinity College at the University of Toronto, the Centre for Provenance Research and Cultural Property Law at Bonn University, the Minerva Centre at the University of Tel Aviv (Research for Cultural Heritage and Restitution Presentation, January 2023, Online).
  • ‘Diploma in Law and Collections Management’ in collaboration with the Institute of Art and Law and Boodle Hatfield LLP (October 2022, Boodle Hatfield LLP, London).
  • ‘Resolving Restitution Disputes’ in collaboration with the Institute of Art and Law and Keystone Law LLP (September 2022, Law Society, London).
  • ‘NFT.Soho – Launch Event’ in collaboration with MindStreamAI and NFT.Soho (November 2021, London).

Speaking Engagement

  • The “Perpetual” Afterlife of Mondrian, Matisse and other Modern Art Works Under US Copyright Law at Law & Popular Culture VIII Roundtable, Maastricht University, Faculty of Law (June 2026).
  • Influencer Advertising and Marketing Practices in Art and Fashion, representing Fashion Law London at Oxford Law Society, Oxford University, Faculty of Law (March 2025).
  • Influencer Advertising and Marketing in Art for Warfare of Art and Law Podcast (May 2023, podcast episode made available in January 2024).
  • Influencer Advertising and Consumer Protection at Atlas Law Journal, Volume 2(1) Launch, Maastricht University, Faculty of Law (February 2023). · Careers in Art & Law for Warfare of Art and Law Podcast (November 2022, podcast episode made available in May 2023).

Teaching Experiences 

  • Induction session for the 2026-2027 Art, Business and Law LLM cohort at Queen Mary University (September 2026).
  • Trade Marks and Passing Off in Artistic works session for the Institute of Art and Law’s Diploma in Intellectual Property and Collections (June 2025).
  • Sustainable Energy Resources in Trade (Co-Chair) session at Future We Want Model United Nations – London (March 2025).
  • Induction session for the 2023-2024 Art, Business and Law LLM cohort at Queen Mary University (September 2023).

Research

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