July 2026 — ArtDom | News and Articles

The leading international carriers — FedEx, UPS, DHL — regularly update their rules for oversized consignments. For artists, galleries and collectors these changes have a direct bearing on the cost, transit time and paperwork involved in shipping paintings abroad. Shipping larger consignments of artwork — paintings, works on paper, sculpture, and particularly anything over 100×100 cm — requires purpose-built protective packaging. In such cases a crate is made from...

The US tariff changes have rewritten the logic of shipping paintings to America. Since 29 August 2025 every parcel, whatever its value, must be formally declared, and the recipient pays duty on delivery. Gifts, personal effects and commercial shipments valued up to 800 dollars once crossed the border free of charge; that threshold is now gone for good. For an artist in Ukraine this is not an abstract Bloomberg headline but a direct hit to the cost of a sale. A client in Brooklyn who...

Painting copies have existed for as long as the originals themselves. Copying is even considered a peculiar sign of success: after all, bad paintings wouldn't be copied. According to historical research, as far back as the Renaissance, from the 14th to the 17th centuries, artists used the camera obscura—the ancestor of the photographic camera. This device allowed an image to be projected onto a surface, much like a projector—leaving the artist to simply reproduce it with paints. Since then, the number of ways to create a copy of a painting has only increased. Let's explore how to distinguish an original painting from a fake, the differences between a replica, a copy, and an artist's repetition, and why it's worth establishing authorship before purchasing—especially since a preliminary consultation at ArtDom is available for free.

The global art market is showing signs of recovery in 2026. According to an ArtTactic report, sales at Christie's, Sotheby's, and Phillips grew by 70% year-on-year in the first half of 2026, reaching $6.8 billion. The combined value of the ten most expensive works sold at auction this year reached $767.7 million. The ranking is dominated by paintings by American and European 20th-century artists, along with two sculptures — by Picasso and Brancusi. Most of the records were set within a single week in May, when the major sales took place in New York at Christie's and Sotheby's, together totaling nearly $2.5 billion.

Confirming the authorship of a painting is one of the most sought-after services in the field of art. Owners of artworks often face situations where the work has the artist's signature, but documents confirming its origin are missing. In such cases, there is a need to conduct an attribution expertise. Authorship confirmation may be needed when selling a work, processing an inheritance, insuring, participating in exhibitions, or preparing documents for international transportation, especially if the export of paintings from Ukraine is planned. It is important to understand that an assumption about authorship and an official expert opinion are different things. Only professional research allows establishing the degree of probability that the work belongs to a specific author and processing the corresponding documents. Distinguishing a copy from an original is a very difficult task even for an experienced specialist. For every expert, this is a serious responsibility, since their conclusions involve professional reputation and legal consequences. That is why the results of the research are formalized in the form of a certificate of authenticity of the painting or an attribution opinion.

The era of generative neural networks has radically changed the art industry. Just a few years ago, an artist could calmly publish their works on social networks without fear that someone would reproduce their unique style in a couple of minutes. Today the situation is different: it is enough to upload a dozen images into an artificial intelligence system, and it will learn to create works "in the manner" of any author. This creates serious risks for artists: loss of uniqueness, decrease in the value of works, and reputational problems. Modern image generation technologies can not only copy a specific painting but also imitate an entire artistic style — the manner of brushstroke, color palette, and favorite subjects of the author. Copyright protection in these conditions becomes not a formality but a necessity. High-quality protection directly affects the purchase of paintings and the cost of works. Collectors are increasingly asking about the availability of certificates of authenticity, copyright registration, and other confirmations of uniqueness. In this article, we will examine what protection methods are available to artists today and how to preserve your artistic style in the era of AI.

The international art market continues to develop actively, and Ukrainian artists are increasingly selling their works outside the country. In 2026, international art logistics has undergone a number of changes that affect the rules of registration, customs procedures, and the cost of transportation. It is especially important to consider the new requirements for artists, galleries, collectors, and art dealers who regularly carry out painting delivery abroad . The speed of customs clearance and the safety of the artwork depend on the correct preparation of documents and the choice of shipping method. Today, the main destinations for the export of Ukrainian art remain the United States, the countries of the European Union, and the states of the Middle East.