12/07/2024
SEVEN YEARS AGO TODAY - On July 12, 2017, seven years ago, the community learned of the Berkshire Museum's intent to sell its most valuable art in a plan to fund their “New Vision.” At the time, 40 works of art, including two iconic Norman Rockwell paintings given by the artist to the Berkshire community, had already been removed from the Museum and consigned to Sothebys. The fact is, selling the Berkshire Museum’s most valuable art was a long-standing plan, in process well before a contract with Sotheby’s was signed.
The plan to sell the art was not revealed to the community until the art had already been removed from the Museum’s premises. This decision, made without the community’s prior knowledge, prompted immediate outcry and triggered widespread coverage in national and international publications. Hundreds of letters to the editor and extensive features in the local Berkshire Eagle followed.
Selling cherished and valuable art was in itself controversial. Using the sale proceeds for anything but direct care of the art challenged long-standing professional ethical practices, and was widely condemned by professional associations. Anita Walker, then director of the Mass Cultural Council criticized the sale and declared it a violation of the public trust. An analysis by Stephen Sheppard, renowned economist of Williams College, examined the Museum’s claims of “structural deficit”, suggested they were exaggerated, and proposed other options. Multiple lawsuits undertaken by members of the community ultimately reached the state’s Supreme Court. Despite an extensive report by Maura Healey’s Massachusetts Attorney General’s office and generous offers for economic assistance to pause the sale, the art was ordered to be sold.
Director Van Shields, who crafted the plan, was replaced by Jeff Rogers, who left after just two years. Board attrition has also been notable – only two remain from that time period. Now, seven years later, the Museum announced scaled back renovations funded by the proceeds, and the facts of how this happened are being continuously revised. The lack of both financial transparency and diverse community engagement continue to this day.
Save-the-Art (STA), an ad-hoc citizens group, is long recognized in the Berkshires and beyond for its community advocacy and widely publicized protests outside the Museum and Sotheby’s. The Berkshire Museum’s recent publicity heralding its “third phase” of renovations, coinciding with the 7-year anniversary of the public announcement to sell the art, provides an ideal opportunity to remember what was lost – valuable art and the public’s trust – while recalling how it came to be.
• FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY – The $5.5 million spent to date to address the museum’s infrastructure repairs is covered many times over by the @ $53 million raised by the sale. The recent announcement does not include the budget for upcoming aquarium renovation costs, current balance from art sale proceeds, or plans for use of the remaining funds. A report detailing this information is required by the AG but has not been filed publicly.
• PUBLIC TRUST – Accountability and diverse community input are critical to restoring trust in the Berkshire Museum. The Museum has an opportunity to accomplish this by inviting voices from throughout the community to be heard and in the process, help shape the future.
• DEACCESSION – Professional museum associations temporarily relaxed deaccession rules during the pandemic to support institutions through the resulting financial hardships. The Berkshire Museum’s auctions preceded this time, yet this temporary change in guidelines has been used to retroactively justify the Museum’s actions.
The Save-the-Art website, savetheart.net, maintains an extensive archive of articles, documentation and related content. It outlines the sequence of events that led to the Berkshire Museum’s art collection sale. The website shares facts, personal stories, articles, timelines and reflects the voices of the community and the wider public. It exists for future generations to learn from, and provides a resource to support financially challenged institutions whose art collections may face threat of liquidation now or in the future.
Photo: Sotheby's
AUGUSTUS SAINT-GAUDENS
1848 - 1907
Diana of the Tower *
inscribed Augustus-Saint-Gaudens/Copyright-by/A St
Gaudens/1899
bronze
height: 26 ¾ inches (67.9 cm) on a 2 ¼ inch (5.7 cm)
marble base
PROVENANCE
Louise Crane, New York
Gift to the present owner from the above, 1994
LITERATURE
John H. Dryfhout, The Work of Augustus Saint-Gaudens,
Hanover, New Hampshire, 1982, p. 210
$ 250,000-350,000
* "Diana of the Tower" did not sell and was returned to the Berkshire Museum.
https://savetheart.net/
