Thanks for weighing in -- we will probably purchase the print, but
bypass the exhibition...Janie
Janie M. Welker
Curator of Collections and Exhibitions
University of Kentucky Art Museum
Rose Street and Euclid Avenue
Lexington, KY 40506-0241
859-257-4844 (phone)
859-323-1994 (fax)
-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Daphne Holmes
Sent: Friday, July 29, 2005 2:09 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] art gallery loans and ethics
Janie, Museums should avoid helping to influence the market indirectly
or directly. It muddies the waters quite a bit for the public on what
it is art museums are really about versus galleries. This is part of
those ethical issues that art museums grapple with all the time. Our
new director insists on adheence to those policies and I'm so glad. In
the regional community we deal with there are lots of galleries and
artists wanting to make a tie with an art museum.
Daphne Holmes
Curator of Education
Louise Wells Cameron Art Museum
--- Janie Welker <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
From: Janie Welker <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Thu, 28 Jul 2005 11:29:50 -0400
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: art gallery loans and ethics
I work at a university art museum, and recently discussed purchasing
work for our photography collection from a gallerist. After we discussed
the artist at length and my interest in her, the gallerist informed me
that they handle the estate of this artist, and are considering
organizing an exhibition to go to 2 or 3 university museum/galleries. If
we buy a print by the artist, there would be no participation fee. We
would have to frame the prints and pay for transportation. I was
considering a purchase anyway, and was quite interested in the offer --
it sounded like a great opportunity. They get the benefit of the work
having been shown in museums and we get a good exhibition for a very
minimal price, given that we were going to purchase a print anyway. My
former institution made similar arrangements as a way of borrowing good
art for the museum, and establishing a good working relationship with
the gallery -- getting good deals, sometimes having the gallery steer
collectors to us when they want to make gifts or need to make a donation
for a tax write-off.
My director here, however, felt that such an exhibition would be a
conflict of interest, since the gallery is clearly interested in selling
the prints after the exhibition closes and would benefit from the museum
exposure. I was quite surpised at my director's response, but wondered
if I need to rethink the issue.
Just wondering what the practice is out there, and what people think
about it.
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