Conversation with Lisette Aguilar
Art Lawyer and Partner at Keystone Law
What has been your favourite online experience thus far?
Of all the online experiences during lockdown, what has surprised me during this time is how much I have appreciated Instagram. Not only has it been a great way of catching up with friends in the art world and the work of artists I admire (such as Mexican photographer Flor Garduño, whose work I first saw at Masterpiece last year), but I have also really enjoyed the varied output on it from art galleries, fairs, auction houses and museums, for instance, daily Instagram Live conversations by Unit 1 Gallery and talks by the Colnaghi Foundation, not to mention of course AWITA C-Suite talks, to name but a very few.
Have there been any books that you have read during this period that you would recommend to the rest of our membership base?
I have found it curiously difficult to read during lockdown, but one book I have been enjoying is "Circles and Squares: The Lives and Art of the Hampstead Modernists" by Caroline Maclean. It is a fascinating insight into the artistic lives, tangled relationships and life philosophies of the group of artists and architects who all happened to live in and around Hampstead in the 1930s (a period I'm drawn to), such as Ben and Winifred Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth. And for sheer escapism I would recommend "The Enchanted April" by Elizabeth von Arnim which a friend sent me. Pure joy.
Have I launched any online initiatives?
I have launched a webinar series, beginning with a webinar on attribution disputes before the courts, based on my experience of some of the cases I worked on while at Sotheby's. It's available on the Keystone Law website and even Youtube! I'm working on the second in the series.