For Britainâs Art Dealers, Post-Brexit Trade Isnât So Free
New taxes, fees and red tape have some in the trade worried they will go out of business. Others see opportunities as the market readjusts.
Andrew Hirst, a British textile dealer, at home on his farm in County Kerry, Ireland. He said he was concerned that fallout from Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic could put an end to his trade.Credit.Karen Cox for The New York Times
By Scott Reyburn
Published Feb. 2, 2021Updated Feb. 19, 2021
LONDON â âYou could just jump in a van, drive to Europe and cross all the borders to buy decorative antiques. Youâd drive straight back through French customs. It was seamless,â said Andrew Hirst, a British dealer specializing in old textiles, who in 2018 moved with his family to Ireland, after Britainâs vote to leave the European Union.
Regular and very long lorry queues at the port of Dover are inevitable in the next few months, as drivers will have to deal with new paperwork when transporting works to Europe Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images
Red tape and border congestion are among the biggest worries for the art trade as the UK’s Brexit transition period comes to an end, according to a straw poll conducted by
The Art Newspaper this month. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen announced 24 December that a trade deal had been agreed days before the transition ends on 31 December.