Why Are Museums Selling Their Collections?

Several major American museums are auctioning paintings by famous artists, in the growing trend of deaccessioning their collections


The collections of American museums are undergoing major transformations this year as four top art institutions (the Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA, the Guggenheim and SFMOMA) are auctioning important works at Sotheby's this spring. Each museum is parting with multimillion dollar masterpieces in an effort to diversify their collections and rethink established art historical canons.

Popular posts from this blog

Caroline Ashleigh Appraisers & Auctioneers

Image
Caroline Ashleigh Appraisers & Auctioneers is an appraisal, auction, and consulting firm that provides services for private and corporate collectors, museums, galleries, law firms, insurance companies, and auction houses throughout the United States                                                                             Our Distinguished Clients: Celebrity Clients: Diana, Princess of Wales  Debby Reynolds American Actress Anna Moffo American Opera Singer Betty Buckley American Broadway Actress/Singer Nudie Cohn Celebrity Tailor Al Capone Estate - American Gangster James Dean Memorabilia Wynton Marsalis Jazz Musician Corporate Clients: Forbes Corporation Art Collection Kellogg Corporation Art Collection Dominos Corporation Art Collection Libby Glass...
Read more

Enticing New Clues About the Largest Unsolved Art Theft in History

Image
  Recently my colleague Anne Igelbrink shared the following enticing new information that has come to light regarding the largest unsolved art heist in history: "I vividly remember waking up as a Wellesley undergraduate in 1990 to hear of the staggering theft of paintings and objects from the Isabella Steward Gardner museum in Boston. It included this seascape by Rembrandt--the only one he is known to have painted--along with two other works as well as those by Vermeer, Degas and Chinese bronzes. Despite many leads and an excellent recent documentary on Netflix (This is a Robbery), nothing has ever been recovered and it remains the world's biggest art heist. However, another tantalizing clue has recently emerged as Robert Calantropo, a Boston area jewelry appraiser and childhood friend of Bobby Donati, one of the key suspects, has confessed that he was shown the Napoleonic eagle finial which was also stolen. Donati was murdered in 1991 but being an eternal optimist, I hope thi...
Read more