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Category Archives: Museums

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City of Detroit Hires Christie’s to Appraise Detroit Institute of Arts Collection

By Nicholas O'Donnell on Posted in Collections, Detroit Bankruptcy, Museums

In connection with the Detroit bankruptcy, auction house Christie’s announced on Monday that it has been hired to “assist and advise on how to realize value for the city while leaving the art in the city’s ownership.”  According to the Christie’s press release, the auction house was hired by the City of Detroit itself, which has… Continue Reading

Detroit Institute of Arts Deaccessioning: Municipal Bankruptcy, Existing and Proposed Changes to Michigan Law Affect Debate

By Nicholas O'Donnell on Posted in Bankruptcy, Collections, Deaccession, Legislation, Museums

An 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

“Flea Market Renoir” Possibly Taken from Baltimore Museum Heads to Court

By Nicholas O'Donnell on Posted in Civil Forfeiture, Museums

The 1879 Pierre-Auguste Renoir painting entitled “Paysage Bords de Seine” that was discovered at a Virgina flea market, but which may also have been stolen from the Baltimore Museum of Art more than sixty years ago, is now the subject of a federal court case in Alexandria, Virginia.  The United States has seized the painting and… Continue Reading

Second Lawsuit Against Metropolitan Museum of Art About Admissions Policy

By Nicholas O'Donnell on Posted in Museums, Uncategorized

For the second time in less than four months, a complaint has been filed against the Metropolitan Museum of Art over its admissions fee policy.  Whereas the November, 2012 action seeks injunctive relief to compel the Met to change its practices, the newest case has been filed as a class action and seeks money damages as well. … Continue Reading

MFA and Harvard To Keep Iranian Antiquities, FSIA/Seizure Questions for Museums Left Unanswered

By Nicholas O'Donnell on Posted in Antiquities, Cultural Property, Foreign Sovereign Immunities, Museums, Restitution

The First Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed a win for the Museum of Fine Arts Boston and Harvard University concerning possession of a number of Iranian antiquities.  The ruling left open, however, some interesting questions about the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA).  In particular, the First Circuit did not have to rule on whether antiquities… Continue Reading

Lawsuit Claims Metropolitan Museum’s Voluntary Admissions Policy is Deceptive

By Nicholas O'Donnell on Posted in Litigation, Museums

A complaint filed against the Metropolitan Museum of Art over its admissions fee policy is gaining widespread coverage.  Although the headlines center on the plaintiffs’ allegations of fraud, Theodore Grunewald and Patricia Nicholson (the two plaintiffs) also put forward several other legal theories. The Met stands in Central Park as part of an agreement with the… Continue Reading