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 ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).