Monday, September 19, 2011

Tell me again about the public trust (a continuing series)

The MFA Boston is selling "eight paintings from its collection, including works by Claude Monet, Paul Gauguin, Alfred Sisley, Camille Pissarro, and Auguste Renoir. The works, valued at between $16.6 million and $24.3 million, were all gifts to the MFA."

Remember:  once an object falls under the aegis of a museum, it is held in the public trust, to be accessible to present and future generations.

And if this sale is allowed to go forward, somebody will say, Why should I give this to you? What guarantee do I have that you're not going to sell this tomorrow?

Yeah, right.