Luc Saucier
| Luc Saucier | |
|---|---|
| Born | La Tronche, France |
| 🏳️ Citizenship |
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| 🏫 Education | |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| 📆 Years active | 1995–present |
Luc Saucier is a French lawyer specializing in international mergers and acquisitions (M&A), intellectual property, and art and copyright law. He is renowned for representing international clients in the telecommunications and media sectors, as well as advising contemporary artists and cultural institutions on issues of authorship, copyright, and contractual frameworks for immaterial art.[1] Saucier is the founder of Saucier Avocats, a law firm with offices in Paris and Brussels, and a key contributor to legal innovations in the contemporary art world.
Early life and education
Luc Saucier was born in 1965, in La Tronche, Isère, France, to Thierry Saucier, a surgeon,[2] and Gabrielle Schnebelen, an academic and entrepreneur. He completed his secondary education at Lycée Emmanuel Mounier in Grenoble. Saucier pursued higher education at Université Paris-Panthéon Assas and Université de Grenoble, earning a Maîtrise de droit and a Diplôme d'études supérieures spécialisées (DESS) in taxation. He later obtained a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from Columbia Law School in New York, where he was a Fulbright Scholar (1990–1991).
Legal career
Saucier is licensed to practice law in France, Belgium, and the United States. He was admitted to the Paris Bar in January 1995 and to the New York Bar in 1992. His legal career began in 1991 at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton in New York and Paris, where he worked as an associate. In 1995, he joined Francis Lefebvre in Paris, before becoming a partner at Rambaud Martel in 1997. Following the firm's merger with Orrick in 2006, Saucier joined Paul Hastings in Paris as a partner in 2005. In 2009, he moved to Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP, working in both their New York and Paris offices.
In 2010, Saucier founded Saucier Avocats, a boutique law firm with offices in Paris and Brussels, specializing in M&A, international corporate law, intellectual property, and cultural heritage law.[3] He also served as a co-founder and associate of Philippe Parreno Studio (2011–2013), a member of 89plus (2013–2019), and a co-founder of Angel Archer (since 2014). Additionally, Saucier was a member of the editorial board of Le Journal des sociétés (2005–2015) and an administrator of Michel Houellebecq Ltd. (2006–2009).
Major Transactions
Saucier has advised on several high-profile corporate transactions, including:
- Representing Fujitsu Ltd. in its 2007 acquisition of French computer services group GFI Informatique SA.
- Advising Sanofi-Synthélabo in its 2004 acquisition of rival pharmaceutical company Aventis.[4]
- Assisting Vodafone during its 2000 hostile takeover of Mannesmann, one of the largest in corporate history.
Theoretical work in law
Saucier has also made significant contributions to legal theory, particularly in the realm of financial law and ethics. In a 2010 interview with broadcaster Max Keiser on The Keiser Report, Saucier proposed labeling excessive financial remuneration, such as the billion-dollar bonuses earned by hedge fund managers and bank CEOs, as "obscene" to serve as a moral and social deterrent. Drawing parallels with U.S. Supreme Court rulings on obscenity in art, he argued that labeling certain financial practices as obscene could limit their social legitimacy and impact their market valuation. Saucier emphasized that such a label could act as a swift deterrent to amoral behavior in global financial markets, where legal loopholes often allow technical compliance without ethical accountability. His theoretical framework challenges the unchecked financial practices that contributed to the global financial crisis, advocating for a reevaluation of societal values in finance.[5]
Work with artists and cultural institutions
Saucier has developed a distinguished practice representing contemporary artists, cultural institutions, and collectors, focusing on intellectual property, authorship, and copyright law. He advised film director Abel Ferrara in legal proceedings initiated by Dominique Strauss-Kahn.
Saucier is a pioneer in creating legal frameworks for immaterial and conceptual art. Notably, he authored the contract transferring the copyright of the fictional character AnnLee, acquired by artists Pierre Huyghe and Philippe Parreno, to the character itself, establishing Ann Lee as a legal entity and prohibiting future commercial or artistic use.[6][7]
Contributions to the contemporary art field
Beyond legal representation, Saucier is a thought leader in art law, advocating for structural changes in the art world’s legal and ethical standards, particularly in relation to decolonization, restitution, and intellectual property reform. His notable contributions include:
- Décoloniser la collection (Mediapart, 2018), addressing legal ownership structures of colonial-era collections.
- Ne to set it right (Multitudes), exploring transformations in authorship and cultural agents’ rights.
- Participation in the experimental seminar Decolonizing the Collection at La Colonie (Paris), proposing new models for cultural restitution and cooperative stewardship.[8]
- Regular commentary in Le Monde and Libération on artists’ rights, the droit de suite (resale royalty right), and innovative legal constructs for contemporary heritage.
Saucier’s work has significantly influenced the development of legal paradigms for immaterial and conceptual art practices, fostering new approaches to cultural heritage and artistic production.
Selected publications
Saucier is a prolific writer, contributing essays and legal commentary to publications such as Le Monde, Mediapart, Multitudes, and Libération. His work focuses on the evolution of copyright, the legal dimensions of authorship, and the status of artistic labor in the 21st century. Selected publications include:
- Saucier, Luc. "Œuvres originales : pour un droit de suite étendu,"Libération, April 3, 2012, p. 23.[9]
- Saucier, Luc. "Il faut interdire les rémunérations obscènes," Libération, January 10, 2011, p. 22.[10]
- Saucier, Luc. "Data room dans le cadre des due diligences préalable à l’acquisition de titres d’une société," extenso.fr, May 30, 2012.[11]
- Saucier, Luc. "Les musées européens devraient être obligés de prêter leurs œuvres aux musées africains," Le Monde, August 11, 2019.[12]
- Saucier, Luc. "Patrimoine africain: le droit de garde pourrait se substituer au droit de propriété," Le Monde, May 9, 2021.[13]
- Saucier, Luc. "Décoloniser la collection," Mediapart, 2018.[14]
- Saucier, Luc. De la fragilité de la référence aux instruments comptables, Option Finance, January 24, 2005 (with Pierre Mousseron)
89plus initiative
Saucier is a founding member of 89plus, an international research project initiated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Simon Castets. The platform focuses on innovation and cultural production by artists born in or after 1989, fostering dialogue and collaboration in the global art community.
Personal life and interests
Saucier has a keen interest in archaeology, art from the 15th to 17th centuries, and tribal art. He is an avid sportsman, enjoying skiing, surfing, cycling, and swimming. He is a member of the France Fulbright Association and the Wiels Business Club in Brussels (since 2015).
Legacy and influence
With over three decades of experience, Saucier has built an international legal network and continues to shape the legal frameworks surrounding art production, intellectual property, and cultural rights. His innovative approaches to art law have established him as a leading figure in the field, particularly in addressing the complexities of contemporary and immaterial art practices.
References
- ↑ Costa-Kostritsky, Valeria (December 6, 2017). ""Délits d'initiés"". Vice.
- ↑ ""Les os ont littéralement été pulvérisés". Thierry, chirurgien MSF à Gaza". Médecins Sans Frontières. April 18, 2018.
- ↑ "Luc Saucier lance Saucier Avocats". Decideurs Magazine (in français). November 8, 2010. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
- ↑ ""Rambaud Martel loses fifth partner"". Financial News. December 21, 2005.
- ↑ "Should Taxpayers Continue to Subsidize Goldman Sachs's Alleged Obscenity?". Huffpost. December 6, 2017.
- ↑ Huyghe, Pierre; Philippe, Parreno (2003). No ghost just a shell. Köln: König. pp. 302–309. 433 Idem, p. 304. ISBN 3883756644. Search this book on
- ↑ Van Audenaeren, Kristel (2005). Het Kunstenaarproject No Ghost Just a Shell: Un film d'imaginaire, van netwerking tot tentoonstelling. Licentiaatsthesis, Faculteit Letteren en Wijsbegeerte, Vakgroep Kunst-, Muziek- en Theaterwetenschappen (PhD thesis). Ghent: Universiteit Gent. p. 45.
- ↑ ""Ne to set it right"". Multitudes.
- ↑ ""Œuvres originales : pour un droit de suite étendu"". Liberation. April 3, 2012.
- ↑ ""Il faut interdire les rémunérations obscènes"". Liberation. January 10, 2011.
- ↑ ""Data room dans le cadre des due diligences préalable à l'acquisition de titres d'une société"". La base-l'extenso. May 30, 2012.
- ↑ ""Les musées européens devraient être obligés de prêter leurs œuvres aux musées africains"". Le Monde. August 11, 2019.
- ↑ ""Patrimoine africain: le droit de garde pourrait se substituer au droit de propriété"". Le Monde. May 9, 2021.
- ↑ "Décoloniser la collection". Mediapart. August 29, 2018.
External links
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