Mr Aaron Taylor

Mr Aaron Taylor is a Fellow-Commoner at Magdalene. He is a barrister at Fountain Court Chambers, with a particular interest in the law relating to art and cultural property.

I am a barrister in commercial practice, covering art and cultural property, aviation, crypto, financial services, energy, civil fraud and financial crime. A significant part of my practice is in civil fraud, i.e. cases involving claims for breach of trust or fiduciary duty, deceit, bribery, conspiracy, dishonest assistance, or the economic torts.

My main academic interest is in the law relating to art and cultural property. As a barrister, I act for a range of market participants in disputes involving art and other luxury objects, with particular experience of cases involving allegations of fraud. As an academic, I research and write about legal issues relating to art and the art market, with a particular interest in fakes and forgeries.

I am currently working on a trade non-fiction book about fraud, fakes, and financial crime in the art market, which is due to be published in 2027. I have recently completed a research project on the legal position of authentication experts in the art market, to be published later in 2025. I also sit on the editorial board of the specialist journal Art Antiquity and Law.

I am a guest lecturer in art law at the London School of Economics, and previously supervised contract law at Trinity Hall and St Edmund’s College, Cambridge. As an undergraduate student, I sang in the Chapel Choir at Magdalene, and I am delighted to return to the College as a Fellow-Commoner.

Research Interests

• Art and cultural property law
• Civil fraud and related criminal/regulatory issues
• Art history, in particular the history of fakes and forgeries

Qualifications

• Diploma in Art Profession Law and Ethics, Institute of Art and Law
• BCL, Keble College
• MA (BA with affiliated status) Law, St Edmund’s College, Cambridge
• BA History, Bristol University

Professional Affiliations

• Art Lawyers Association
• Professional Advisors to the International Art Market (PAIAM)
• International Catalogue Raisonné Association
• Institute of Art & Law
• Commercial Bar Association