Its not just an ethical question is it? It is my understanding that
non-profit institutions aren't allowed to sell anything, unless under
special circumstances.
On Fri, 29 Mar 1996, Eric Siegel wrote:
> I've been given to understand that selling art from a museum exhibit
> is considered against the museum code of ethics. I guess the idea is
> that commerce degrades curatorial integrity, and that there is a
> conflict of interest. This conflict goes: If MOMA displays the work
> of an artist, the value of that work goes up. If MOMA then sells the
> work of that artist, MOMA is benefitting from its own imprimatur. I
> always thought that this was pretty stringent, but I'm told that this
> is the museum ethical standard.
>
> Eric Siegel
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>