Thaddeus J. Stauber leads Nixon Peabody’s Art and Cultural Institutions team advising the world’s leading cultural institutions, foreign sovereigns, international art collectors, dealers, artists, universities, foundations, estates, and individuals in all aspects of art law. From putting together the transformative SFMOMA Fisher family deal that changed the modern art museum model—to representing the estates and families of legendary artists such as Pablo Picasso—to leading high-profile courtroom wins and groundbreaking crossover deals—to advising next-generation artists like Sterling Ruby, Thaddeus understands the art industry and international cultural marketplace. He readily identifies and brings in the right experts across the globe to collaborate with a client’s existing counsel and advisors.

Thaddeus and his team have successfully represented their clients’ interests in courtroom trials and proceedings throughout the U.S. and arbitral bodies worldwide, including controversies spanning the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Latin America. He has personally argued cases in six different federal circuits (D.C., 2nd, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 9th), along with numerous state courts including New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Thaddeus and his team also work with galleries, museums, artists, major collectors, and dealers in significant art and cultural property transactions, consignments, and commissions. They work on the forefront of the global explosion of contemporary art and the merging of art, fashion, media, and finance; devise groundbreaking negotiations and deal structures; along with helping our artist and gallery clients as they expand and enter global markets with cross-border transactions. The team also navigates media management and crisis intervention, by guiding institutions and public figures through emergent situations to restore not only public trust, but the confidence of board leadership, donors, and the marketplace.

Thaddeus graduated cum laude from the University of Wisconsin Law School and has received numerous honors including recognition by his peers for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America© in the field of art law since 2016 and as “Lawyer of the Year” in art law by Best Lawyers for Los Angeles in 2018.

A global AM LAW 100 law firm, Nixon Peabody LLP has more than 650 attorneys collaborating across numerous practice areas, including corporate, real estate, tax, and litigation.