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Important New AAMD Policy on Deaccessioning

By Intellectual Property Law, Esq.

The AAMD announced a major change to its deaccessioning policy today.  From now on, sales on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are prohibited; sales on Tuesdays and Thursdays are allowed.

A spokesman for the AAMD said it was important to prevent sales on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays because once an object falls under the aegis of a museum, it is held in the public trust, to be accessible to present and future generations.

He added that, if such sales are allowed, somebody will say, Why should I give this to you? What guarantee do I have that you're not going to sell this tomorrow?

It's just a very, very, very, very, very, very core principle that museums conserve their works in trust for the community.

When asked why the same considerations don't apply to sales on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the spokesman said, "Those sales are different."

When asked how they are different, the spokesman replied, "Shut up. How would you like to be sanctioned?"

For more on this breaking story, see here.

Full post as published by The Art Law Blog on April 01, 2011 (boomark / email).