British Museums will be Scrutinized when Selling Artworks

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December 29, 2014; Artnet News

Recent sales of artworks belonging to some British Museums have now paved the way for additional scrutiny for future artwork sales by British museums. The Museums Association (MA), a governing body for British museums, is now considering stricter regulations on how and why museums sell off their artworks. The transaction that brought this to the forefront was the sale of an ancient Egyptian statue of Sekhemka for $24.6 million by the Northampton Borough Council. In another instance, the Croydon Council sold 17 Chinese ceramics from the Riesco Gallery for $12.5 million. The Museums Association revoked both organizations’ accreditations for the sale of these works.

The MA began to dig deeper into these major recent transactions by these museums. As it turns out (through an annual Museums Association survey), funding cuts have forced one in ten museums to sell artworks to make up any monetary deficit. On top of that, 52 percent of museums experienced declines in funding—the most since 2011. The results of this study, in addition to the recent actions of the two British museums, prompted further discussion of policy.

However, the issue is not the sale of an artwork or a collection for monetary gain, but the ethics surrounding the decision to sell. As long as the sale is done ethically, with the mission of the museum being the primary driver and with the community in mind, then a sale is most likely acceptable. In both the Borough Council and Croydon Council cases, this practice was not utilized when determining if a sale was a good fit for the museum.

According to the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD), deaccessioning is practiced to refine and enhance the quality, use, and character of an institution’s holdings. There are two fundamental principles that are always observed whenever an AAMD member art museum deaccessions an object:

The decision to deaccession is made solely to improve the quality, scope, and appropriateness of the collection, and to support the mission and long-term goals of the museum.
Proceeds from a deaccessioned work are used only to acquire other works of art; the proceeds are never used as operating funds, to build a general endowment, or for any other expenses.

Funds from deaccessioning can be invested in an acquisitions endowment earmarked to support the long-term growth of a museum’s collection.

Unfortunately, due to an overall decrease in funding for nonprofit organizations, many museums and institutions have begun considering selling, or already have sold, artworks for their monetary value to cushion the organization through a tough funding cycle and potential future tough funding cycles.

The Museums Association has considered partnering with groups like the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Art Fund, and the Arts Council England to become an advocating force for the restriction of sales of vital artworks strictly for monetary gain. This collective group might create an at-risk list of collections to include in this decision-making process, and could very well shape the ownership of artwork collections in England for years to come. This cultural policy platform is one that is on the rise.—Jennifer Swan

About the author

Jennifer Swan

Jennifer Swan is currently the Associate Director for Arts Services Initiative of WNY (ASI). In this role Ms. Swan assists in positioning ASI as the link between the arts and cultural community and other sectors of the region. She provides outreach and administrative support to ASI’s partner networks including the Greater Buffalo Cultural Alliance (GBCA), Cultural Alliance of Niagara (CAN), and serves on the Arts Partners for Learning (APL) Leadership Team. Ms. Swan is the New York State Council on the Arts Decentralization (DEC) Grant Program Coordinator for Erie and Niagara Counties. Previously Ms. Swan was the Business Manager for the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus where she was responsible for the day–to-day operations, working alongside the Board of Directors and committees. Major projects included the involvement of the Chorus in the Music Culture 716 collaborative and extending the Chorus’ regular season to include special performances at community events such as the National Historic Preservation Conference held in Buffalo in October 2011. Ms. Swan currently serves on the Chorus’ Concert, Marketing, and Nominating Committees. From 2009-2011 she managed and maintained the box office and front of house at the Lancaster Opera House, and orchestrated and organized an annual fundraiser for two years. Here she solicited donations and managed all aspects of the event from preparation to day-of activities. Her other arts and cultural work includes judging Congressman Higgins’ Congressional Student Art Competition in 2012, 2013, and 2014; past work includes Music is Art’s The Big Easy in Buffalo Committee, Volunteer Coordinator for Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center’s Artists and Models: Nocturminal fundraiser, Marketing/Concert Crew for Slee Hall at Lippes Concert Hall at the University at Buffalo, and Music Librarian and Marketing for the Amherst Chamber Ensembles. Additional work in the for-profit sector includes Promotions for Citadel Broadcasting and Righteous Babe Records, and management and marketing for several individual music projects. Ms. Swan has presented at a variety of community-wide engagements including to Leadership Buffalo’s Arts, Culture, and Tourism Day (June 2014), Daemen College’s Art and Community Class (April 2014), University at Buffalo’s Management Career Development Class (November 2013), and the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) Evening with the Professionals at Buffalo State College (October 2012). Ms. Swan has a MA in Arts Management from the University at Buffalo and a BA in Communications/Broadcasting with a minor in music from Buffalo State College. While at the University at Buffalo she traveled abroad with NUROPE (Nomadic University for Art, Philosophy, and Enterprise in Europe) to Sweden and Finland, completing an intensive scholarly program entitled Beyond Bergman and Nobel: Scandinavian Cultural Policy and Performing Arts. As a result of that academic excursion, Ms. Swan co-wrote an article forUB International titled “Summer School in Arts Management Held in Finland and Sweden.”

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