At 07:02 PM 4/9/96 EDT, you wrote: > I was very pleased with Mr. Thompson's comments. I was an > antiques dealer before I came on the museum scene. I worked with > many collectors who, out of a passion, built stunning private > collections. My exposure to them reminds me of people like the > Rockefellers, who have not only built fantastic and important > collections, but have shared those collections with the world--as > most private collectors I have met are willing to do over time. > May I also add that many museums have great collections because of > the efforts of a single dedicated collector. > > What gives anyone the right to tell a person that > they no longer "should" own their life's work and > accomplishments? And why is it that when so many museums today > cannot even care for the collections that they own, do they still > demand to hold more? > > The whole thing has perplexed me for years. > > > John Handley > San Francisco > Many of us who have replied to this situation are not claiming that the gentleman in question had no right to collect or own the material...HE was searching for an answer as to what to do with it NOW that HE cannot continue to hold onto it. The implication that I read into his posting was that the value of his collection ought to somehow mean that some museum/library somewhere ought to buy it....and that the lack of response on our collective parts was a FAILING on our part. If a collector has a passion and the resources to develop a valuable collection AND the insight, long-term vision AND resources to make a workable plan for the collection's care after he/she is gone, then indeed the world and society benefits from this special gift. But I and others have had more than our share of instances where a fine collection has been built up and the owner hasn't a clue what to do with it when the time comes to divest. Their passion and dedication certainly tell them that the collection as a whole is more valuable than individual pieces, but the marketplace often behaves in just the opposite way. Of course there are examples of whole collections being bought, either by individuals, corporations, or non-profits. But the situation has to be right and the resources available at the right time. I would love to acquire this collection for our archives, but our resources and fund-raising priorities just do not match this current opportunity. As to the comments made by another lister as to the preservation advantages and disadvantages between individual ownership and institional ownership....the variables are many in that equation. The owner of the current Wright archives collection says that he has tried to make the collection available to researchers all along. Other private owners do not. AND I have done enought AAM MAP II surveys to know that many institutions cannot care for what they have. Tough calls all the way around. Edward Jay Pershey Curator of Urban & Industrial History Director of Education Western Reserve Historical Society 10825 East Boulevard Cleveland, OH 44106