Brandeis Appears to Scale Back Plan to Sell ArtSource: Wall Street ( http://wsj.com ), by John HechingerBrandeis University's president, seeking to quell an uproar over a plan to close its art museum, appeared to back away from plans to sell its $350 million collection, telling alumni that the school planned to sell "only a limited number" of pieces "if the need arises in the future." But the chairman of Brandeis's Rose Art Museum and several donors attacked the statement from President Jehuda Reinharz, saying the essential elements of Brandeis's plan remained unchanged. Jonathan Lee, chairman of the Rose's board, Friday called the statement "spin" and "a smoke-and-mirrors ploy." Like many universities, Brandeis, in Waltham, Mass., faces a budget shortfall following a sharp drop in its endowment and an expected decline in donations. The fight over the Rose demonstrates how universities may alienate donors if they move to sell prized assets to raise cash during the slump. In late January, sparking a firestorm, Mr. Reinharz announced to alumni that said the school's board "voted to close the Rose Art Museum." A press release said that, working with an auction house, the school "will publicly sell the art collection," which has 7,000 works by artists including Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol. Late Thursday, Mr. Reinharz told alumni in an email: "The Rose is NOT going to close." Instead, he said the university's board had voted to keep it as a "teaching and exhibition gallery." But Mr. Lee and donors said Mr. Reinharz was parsing words, saying that there's no change in plans to close the museum, which is different from an exhibition gallery. Jerry Fineberg, an art collector and former Rose chairman who gave $2 million to build a new Rose wing, noted that much of the value of the artwork resides in a relative handful of works, so Brandeis could still raise substantial funds by selling "only a limited number." Joe Baerlein, a spokesman for Mr. Reinharz, said, barring a "catastrophic" economic downturn, no artworks would be sold for at least two years and no specific pieces had been targeted for auction. Fred Hopengarten, a member of the Rose family who established the museum, said he was canvassing relatives to pursue legal options to oppose the Brandeis plan. Mr. Fineberg said he is consulting a lawyer and plans to ask for his big donation back and "give it to a real museum." |
| - | http://www.sgallery.net/artnews/2009/03/01/brandeis-appears-to-scale-back-plan-to-sell-art.html | |
| «ArtNews» | - | http://www.sgallery.net/artnews/ |