As I have before, I wanted to mark the third anniversary of this blog since we posted three articles on September 15, 2011. In the last year, you (the reader) have helped the Report grow beyond our most optimistic hopes. We have done our best to cover significant events like the Gurlitt saga and restitution issues, the… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Deaccession
Subscribe to Deaccession RSS FeedAll Sides Show Their Cards on Detroit Institute of Arts Collection as Bankruptcy Trial Begins
Posted in Deaccession, Detroit BankruptcyOpening statements concluded in the Detroit Bankruptcy trial yesterday, and as expected, the role of the art at the Detroit Institute of Arts played a central role. Although opening statements constitute nothing of evidentiary value, they obviously show the road map that the various sides intend to follow. Thanks to courtroom reporting, we have a… Continue Reading
Corcoran Merger Approved, Cy Prés Ruling Treats Deaccession as Non-Starter in Concluding that Status Quo is Untenable
Posted in Cy Pres, Deaccession, Museums, TrustsAs reported initially, Judge Robert Okun of the District of Columbia Superior Court allowed yesterday the cy prés petition by the trustees of the Corcoran Gallery and the Corcoran College of Art + Design. The full opinion can be read here. The petition asked to reform the trust of William Corcoran to permit a merger… Continue Reading
Court Grants Corcoran Cy Pres Petition to Merge with National Gallery and George Washington University
Posted in Cy Pres, Deaccession, Museums, TrustsNews broke this afternoon that Judge Robert Okun has allowed the Corcoran Gallery and Corcoran College of Art + Design’s News broke this afternoon that Judge Robert Okun has allowed the Corcoran Gallery and Corcoran College of Art + Design’s cy prés petition to modify their governing trust to merge operations with the National Gallery… Continue Reading
Corcoran Cy Prés Trial Wraps Up, Whether Judge Thinks Deaccessioning is Worse than the Alternatives Will Influence Final Result
Posted in Cy Pres, Deaccession, Museums, TrustsThe two-week trial over the possible reformation of the Corcoran Gallery and the Corcoran College of Art + Design ended last week, with Judge Robert Okun expected to rule by the end of the month. The trustees, as proponents of cy prés reformation, put of a case of dire financial straits. Without reformation and merger… Continue Reading
First Week of Corcoran Cy Prés Hearing Wraps Up, Focus is on Financial Condition and Other Alternatives to Proposed Merger
Posted in Cy Pres, Deaccession, Museums, TrustsJudge Robert Okun closed the first week of hearings yesterday on the proposed modifications to the Corcoran Gallery and the Corcoran Gallery of Art + Design in Washington, DC. The Corcoran’s trustees have petitioned the DC Superior Court for cy prés, to modify the trust that governs the two institutions to allow mergers with the… Continue Reading
Not so Fast—Intervention into Corcoran Cy Pres Case Allowed for Current Students and Employees, “Save the Corcoran” Turned Away
Posted in Cy Pres, Deaccession, Museums, TrustsThe Washington Business Journal‘s Rebecca Cooper tweeted today from the courtroom today that District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Robert Okun has allowed in part the motion to intervene in the Corcoran Gallery cy prés petition. Reports are that current students of the College of Art + Design, as well as current Corcoran employees were… Continue Reading
District of Columbia DA Supports Corcoran Cy Pres Petition, Focuses on Potential Sanctions for Deaccession
Posted in Cy Pres, Deaccession, Museums, TrustsThe Washington, DC District Attorney Irvin Nathan has filed his brief concerning the Corcoran Gallery’s cy prés petition to reform the museum and College of Art + Design with the National Gallery of Art and George Washington University. To put it succinctly, “The District supports entry of the Proposed Order because the proposed cy pres… Continue Reading
Corcoran Trustees Respond to “Save the Corcoran” Motion to Intervene, Argue That Challengers Lack Distinct Interest
Posted in Cy Pres, Deaccession, Museums, TrustsThe trustees of the Corcoran Gallery and the Corcoran College of Art +Design have responded to the recent motion by a group of students, faculty, staff, and interested supporters have filed a motion to intervene in the Corcoran’s cy prés petition to merge with the National Gallery of Art and George Washington University. The proposed… Continue Reading
Corcoran Cy Pres Petition Challenged by Students, Staff and Community Group. Will “Save the Corcoran” Be Another “Friends of the Barnes” Case?
Posted in Cy Pres, Deaccession, Museums, TrustsAfter months of uncertainty about the future of the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, the Corcoran’s Trustee’s filed a petition on June 17, 2014 for cy pres—to revise the terms of the trust that administers the museum and the Corcoran College of Art + Design. The Corcoran’s financial condition, they argue, make the… Continue Reading
Detroit Institute of Arts Makes Case for Its Art as a Public Trust that City Could Not Sell Even if it Wanted To
Posted in Deaccession, Detroit BankruptcyAfter Judge Rhodes denied (as predicted) the expansive relief requested by creditors in the Detroit bankruptcy to perform a top-to-bottom appraisal of the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts, attention has focused on those creditors’ objection to the “grand bargain” within the overall plan of adjustment. The creditors (and some academics) have argued that… Continue Reading
Detroit Institute of Arts Grand Bargain Not Done Yet, Creditors Claim to Have Purchaser Willing to Pay Nearly $2 Billion for Entire Collection
Posted in Deaccession, Detroit BankruptcySince reports last month that a grand bargain had been struck to provide an infusion of cash to the Detroit bankruptcy in exchange for conveying the artwork at the Detroit Institute of Arts back to the museum itself, it has been largely accepted that the deal would succeed. The deal would contribute $366 million from… Continue Reading
Last Call: “Selling the Museum’s Collection: Is Deaccessioning Ever Appropriate?” on Monday
Posted in Deaccession, Detroit Bankruptcy, EventsA last reminder that on Monday, there will be a panel discusion at Columbia Law School entited “Selling the Museum’s Collection: Is Deaccessioning Ever Appropriate?“ From the event description: “The Kernochan Center for Law, Media and the Arts is proud to welcome Roberta Smith, New York Times art critic, and Nicholas O’Donnell, author of “The… Continue Reading
“Selling the Museum’s Collection: Is Deaccessioning Ever Appropriate?” at Columbia October 28, 2013
Posted in Deaccession, EventsA reminder that two weeks from Monday, I will join a panel discusion at Columbia Law School entited “Selling the Museum’s Collection: Is Deaccessioning Ever Appropriate?“ From the event description: “The Kernochan Center for Law, Media and the Arts is proud to welcome Roberta Smith, New York Times art critic, and Nicholas O’Donnell, author of… Continue Reading
Detroit Institute of Arts Deaccessioning: Municipal Bankruptcy, Existing and Proposed Changes to Michigan Law Affect Debate
Posted in Bankruptcy, Collections, Deaccession, Legislation, MuseumsAn important qualifier to the discussion about deaccessioning and the Detroit Institute of Arts is that although DIA is a subdivision of the bankruptcy debtor (Detroit), that debtor is not any old commercial entity. Rather, Detroit is a municipality, and municipal and state debtors are governed by slightly different rules than private parties. The underlying… Continue Reading
Detroit Institute of Arts and Motor City Bankruptcy: Deaccessioning Fact and Fiction, Hope and Reality
Posted in Collections, DeaccessionThe recent filing by the City of Detroit for bankruptcy—the largest such municipal filing in history—has brought with it an unexpected art law twist. Namely: to what extent can, or should the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts be used to satisfy the city’s creditors. As one might expect, the differences between what the… Continue Reading
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