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To Have and To Hold … Or Not? Deaccessioning Policies, Practices, and the Question of the Public’s Interest

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 June 2017

Deandra Rose Mann
Deandra Rose Mann*
Affiliation:
JD 2016, Stanford Law School, Stanford, CA, United States; Email: [email protected].
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Abstract:

Shockwaves echoed through the media and the arts community when the Delaware Art Museum chose to deaccession pieces from its collection and when the public learned that the Detroit Institute of Arts might be forced to do the same. Further concern arose when financial troubles compelled the Corcoran Gallery of Art to merge with the National Gallery of Art and George Washington University. An examination of the climate and legal battles surrounding these events shows how these institutions chose to cope with the financial adversity that put their collections at risk and illustrates the precarious position of works in a museum’s collection when that museum experiences financial distress. This article explores the ethical, judicial, and legislative frameworks currently governing deaccessioning and ultimately advocates for new legislative solutions to guide the deaccession process in order to provide the opportunity to maintain these works in the public sphere.

Type
Research Article
Information
International Journal of Cultural Property , Volume 24 , Issue 2 , May 2017 , pp. 113 - 159
Copyright
Copyright © International Cultural Property Society 2017 

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