Hello Paul,
In a way, I do agree with Lori. Despite the fact that private collectors
are very helpful to museums at times, loaning pieces or giving very well
informed information, the idea of private collecting clashes with the ideas
of a public institution.  I have had the great experiences of working both
in a museum and now in the private sector. Initially, I found myself in a
museum in many capacities, but my responsibilities as a buyer in the
private sector just contrasts with my old job. I suppose it's commensurate
with the level of collecting you do and the level of your employment.
Hypothetically, if you were a collector of high-end art and were curator at
the National Gallery, would your own shopping list interfere with museum
acquisitions? Proportionately, if you were a collector of antiques and
worked at a small Americana gallery in the  suburbs, does your collecting
effect the range of pieces the museum could attain? When I finish
additional post-grad education, I will be very mindful of my potential job
at a museum and my past collecting for the private sector. In my own
collection, I have modest pieces, and I'll keep it that way.

Robert D.
Fine Arts buyer

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