De-accessioning. The core of the Beyeler collection cannot be sold. (Only secondary, non- essential, works can be sold, but only under very restricted conditions). The Museum thus robs itself of the possibility of undertaking a more flexible collection policy. Works considered less important could be sold in order to buy other works more suited to the collection, for instance to fill gaps, or to acquire an artist so far not represented. While the Beyeler Museum has only a small number of works not exhibited in its depot, it could nevertheless sell those seldom, or never, exhibited and use the proceeds to buy other works, or to finance some other activity. In contrast to other museums (see White, 1996), the Beyeler has no legal restrictions with respect to de-accessioning,10 and no third party donor restricts the reselling of paintings, which for many museums is a serious problem if they want to actively manage their collection (e.g. X'Xxxxx, 1998). However, various other reasons may account for not engaging in the market: - The founder and president, who absolutely dominates the museum’s decisions, has an interest in keeping the activities of the museum clearly separate from any commercial activities at his gallery, which he is still maintaining.11 Mixing the activities together would at least partly destroy his reputation as a patron of the arts and therefore reduce his utility. - As is the case for all museums, it is disadvantageous for the museum’s directorate to engage in such monetary transactions, because it would facilitate outside intervention in particular 10 This statement must be somewhat qualified. The contract (article 3) with the state, granting the museum fixed subsidies for a period of ten years, contains a clause prohibiting the sale of any part of the collection during the period of the subsidy. However, if Beyeler had really wanted, he could probably have influenced these terms. 11 According to the New York Times (March 22, 02), Beyeler just received a guaranteed sum of $ 19 million from the auction house Philipps for some of his Impressionists and Classical Moderns not in the Museum collection. on the part of politicians and the media. 12 They could, for instance, more easily identify what they consider to be “mistakes” (e.g. when a painting is sold at a certain price and thereafter greatly appreciates in value). Fending off the market thus provides the Museum directorate with more discretion.
De-accessioning. De-accessioning is the process of officially removing a work from a collection. De-accessioning can occur for a number of reasons (unexpected damage, age, poor maintenance, major infrastructure change to an area, etc) and should be considered very carefully. In all cases of de-accessioning the artist and a medium specific conservationist should be consulted. Depending on the severity of the issue de-accessioning can mean the City releases the work back to the artist, the City may dispose of the work, or the City may move the work if the environment is causing the principle damage. All of these options affect the artists morals right for the work and should engage them in the dialogue. Moral rights refer to an artists’ right to ensure the integrity of their work – even once in the care and control of someone else. If the change your making through de-accessioning has the potential of altering the integrity of the work, the artist has the right to be engaged in that process. comparable communities As part of the review in creating this public art plan Cobalt Connects reviewed the plans of a number of comparable communities, and communities in close proximity to the Town of Xxxxxxxx. This review was done with an eye for uncovering effective management structures, funding models, decisions making practices and to understand the scale of programs in comparable communities. The communities reviewed were: Halton Hills, Peterborough, Haldimond County, Richmond Hill, London, and Barrie. While not all communities reviewed had fully developed public art policies, all were addressing the issue in various planning documents (Urban Design, Community Improvement Plans, Strategic Plan, Cultural Plan) and presented the following key findings with respect to public art. By taking on the task of creating an official Public Art Plan the Town of Xxxxxxxx is tangibly showing its dedication to fostering local culture.
