The Art of Litigation: Luke Nikas Is Honored in the Time 100

Quinn Emanuel’s Luke Nikas is honored today with a place on Time’s list of the 100 most influential people in art, for his prominence in the increasingly fast-paced arena of art world litigation.

It’s fitting, then, that he’s a Renaissance man.

Nikas, a partner in the firm’s New York office, is widely recognized as one of the foremost attorneys in the US, representing Fortune 50, 100, and 500 companies, celebrities, high-net-worth individuals, and other prominent clients around the world. He has worked, and won, in almost every kind of litigation and in industries including technology, cybersecurity, banking, insurance, advertising, media and entertainment, professional sports, real estate, pharma, and health care.

And then there’s art. Nikas has prevailed for clients in some of the most significant battles in the industry, recently securing a $102.2 million jury verdict in an intellectual property case involving Robert Indiana’s famous LOVE image after eight years in court – a testament to Quinn Emanuel’s tireless advocacy for its clients.

Luke represents several of the most important figures in art, including major artists, foundations and museums, collectors, dealers, galleries, auction houses, conservators, and investment companies. Among other matters, he has recovered priceless works by Andy Warhol and Pablo Picasso.

He is currently on a fraud case involving forgeries of famous Warhol works, including “Queen Elizabeth II” and  “Details of Renaissance Paintings (Sandro Botticelli, Birth of Venus).” The dispute, which shows in unusual detail how fakes can be funneled into the market, is the subject of a Wall Street Journal feature this week, in which Nikas vows to “hold accountable every individual and every company” that defrauded his clients “and perpetrated this scheme to defraud other victims.”

In honoring him today, Time notes that the increasingly dizzying sums spent in the art world over the past two decades have led to more and more litigation.

As always, Luke is right on time for the challenge, and for his clients.