Judith Dobrzynski has news of two more museums selling work, including the planned sale by the Art Institute of Chicago of a Braque, two Picassos, and a Matisse at Christie's next month. The combined high estimates come to about $15.5 million.
Here are two things we know about those five works:
1. Having fallen under the aegis of a museum, they were held in the public trust, to be accessible to present and future generations . . . or at least until February. After that: not so much. Sorry present and future generations! Don't be so touchy about it.
2. Their sale will certainly NOT send a terrible message to potential donors. Nobody will say: "Why should I give this to you? What guarantee do I have that you're not going to sell this tomorrow?"
It's almost as if this whole "public trust" business is a bunch of b.s.