Friday, April 03, 2009

"Without a meaningful debate on those issues, we’re left with shrieking and moralizing that does little to bolster the public trust"

The Art Market Monitor points out another problem with the "public trust" argument against deaccessioning:

"If museums are a public trust for future generations, why are they allowed to duplicate missions and compete for works? As we’ve recently seen in Los Angeles, there is wasteful competition for donor funding, duplication of infrastructure and the failure of museum trustees to live up to their responsibilities all over. If art is held in trust, museums should be rationalized for the best access of the public."