Divorce and Original Artwork

Purchasing original artwork for your home is one of the best ways to integrate art into your daily life while supporting the arts in the process. If you and your spouse own a pricey or personally meaningful work of art, deciding what happens to it after a divorce can be difficult. By discussing the details of your divorce early in the process, you can settle issues like ownership of art before they become serious problems.

Original art can be expensive, but many people also consider it more beautiful and more meaningful than a reproduction. Many couples combine their income to purchase more expensive pieces. Since art can also be so meaningful as to be priceless, the dollar value of the work is rarely the end of the story. A piece that one of you gave to the other as a gift may be more important to one of you than the other.

In some cases, deciding what happens to a piece is clear-cut. Art that was created by relatives, or which has passed down through one spouse’s family, might generally be expected to stay with that spouse. On the other hand, there could be circumstances where the other spouse wants the work more, or feels more entitled to it. Art created by children can be a much more sensitive issue and may require serious and open discussion before you can decide what happens to it.

In these complicated circumstances, a mediator can be a great help. If you and your spouse cannot agree on the division of much-loved assets like original artwork, it may be time to discuss your options with an Oceanside divorce attorney.

Contact Us

By working with a compassionate Oceanside divorce lawyer, you can work through the details of your divorce to prevent conflict before it starts. To learn more, contact Fischer & Van Thiel, P.C. today at 760-722-7646.