Unfortunately Not All Things Considered on NPR's Deaccessioning Take

Greetings.

Here's a story NPR ran on deaccessioning yesterday, on their nationwide radio show, "All Things Considered."

I was initially approached for an interview concerning this story, but was not contacted again. This is unfortunate, not because I want my voice heard across all 50 states (or 57 if you're Obama), but because I think a hot and controversial issue such as deaccessioning should be approached in multiple ways, but also with as many diverse viewpoints as possible.

This issue is not one of simply selling or not selling; it's much more complicated than that. Granted, five minutes is not fifty minutes, but it's also ample time to present at least two positions with a third commentary on both.

I hope that next time NPR decides to tackle deaccessioning they tak a more nuanced and objective approach to this timely issue and to other art law matters.

Unfortunately Not All Things Considered on NPR's Deaccessioning Take

"Anyone who looks upon DIA as an ATM will be in for a shock."

I know. I haven't been posting here often but probably because, to be completely honest, the deaccessioning battle has pretty much been boiled down to sell and don't sell. There's very little interesting "stuff" being written about the philosophical aspects of relinquishing art and cultural objects for money, so why continue to simply post about institutions that do or do not do it, and those that get chastised for doing it.

Especially when bloggers like Donn Zaretsky have pretty much eviscerated the "public trust" argument to a myopic piece of Deathstar dust. Donn's got great arguments on his blog, and they're not knee-jerk reactions like the ones we tend to get from the deaccessioning police or, as I like to call them, those that shriek a deaccessioning fatwa. Check him out.

Meanwhile, Detroit. Yeah, what's up with Detroit? Here's a nice little argument from Eric Gibson of the WSJ arguing that creditors and pensioners should take what's on the table now given the unpredictable nature of the contemporary art market.

Hmmm, maybe. What do you think?

"Anyone who looks upon DIA as an ATM will be in for a shock."

Deaccessioning in a Nutshell

A nice and brief overview of the current state of deaccessioning...and the pitfalls, via Charles and Thomas Danziger. Nice hypo!

Deaccessioning in a Nutshell

Portugal Ponders the Sale of Their Joan Miró Paintings

Or I should say, the deaccessioning. Portugal is trying to pay off it's $110 billion debt, but if the Miró paintings only brought in $50 million or so, what kind of dent would that even make?

Via the paper of record.

Portugal Ponders the Sale of Their Joan Miró Paintings

Christopher Knight on LA MoCA's New Director and Deaccessioning

LA Times Art Critic Christopher Knight discusses LA MoCA's new director, Jules Vergne, and deaccessioning.

Christopher Knight on LA MoCA's New Director and Deaccessioning