Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Update on the Brodsky Bill

The NYCBA Art Law Committee recently sent a letter to Assemblyman Brodsky, regarding his proposed museum deaccessioning bill. You can read the letter here (courtesy of Sergio Muñoz Sarmiento).

I'm opposed to the bill in its entirety -- I'm one of those who, as their letter puts it, "maintain that uniform restrictions on the use of deaccessioning proceeds may not neccessarily serve the best interest of the institutions or the public" -- like Christopher Knight, I think we can "trust [our] tax-subsidized museum professionals to use their art collections wisely and for [our] benefit" -- but, if we have to have the legislation, the Committee makes some good suggestions for making it a little less bad.

Speaking of the Art Law Committe, they're sponsoring a public program tomorrow night on The Art of War: The Protection of Cultural Property in War and Peace.