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January 29, 2009
Brandeis museum situation
Clearly the Brandeis board has been considering art as an investment all these years, and thinking of gifts of art just like gifts to the endowment. When I first heard the talk about shutting down the museum and selling its contents I thought this was a scare tactic to force some major gifts out of the art folks - you know, "we have a $10 million deficit this year - give us $7.5 million or we'll sell the collection."
Now I'm not so sure. In today's story in the Boston Globe we read:
Among those joining the chorus of outrage yesterday was Lois Foster, the widow of a former Brandeis trustee, for whom a new museum wing is named.In an interview, Foster said university trustees raised the idea of closing the Rose a decade ago, recognizing the potential millions that could be raised by selling off a collection that includes works by Warhol, Lichtenstein, and de Kooning.
Her late husband, Henry, "talked for hours to get them to change their minds, and they did," Lois Foster recalled yesterday.
Eventually, the Fosters gave more than $5 million to the school for the museum's Lois Foster Wing, which opened in 2001.
At least according to Mrs. Foster they did use the scare tactic technique on her husband a decade ago - but now they seem to be in earnest about selling.
Posted by CrankyProfessor at January 29, 2009 7:39 AM
Comments
So, let me understand this.
10 years ago, an individual donates/gives art to the museum, and the museum is now threatening to sell the donated art?
My God! Those folks have some huge balls!
Posted by: Joaquin at January 29, 2009 4:16 PM