News

The Museums Association’s (MA) ethics committee has given the go-ahead for the Royal Cornwall Museum (RCM) to sell two paintings, Bondage by Ernest Normand and The Sea Maiden by Herbert Draper, in order to raise £3m to create an endowment fund to support the museum’s collections.

A statement by the MA issued today reads, in part: “The committee recognised that this is an exceptional circumstance and that the sale may be necessary to ensure the long-term financial stability of the collections. The committee recognised that this action is being taken with deep regret and only as a last resort…

“…we are satisfied that any money raised from the sale of any items from the collection will be ring-fenced and used solely and directly for the benefit of the museum collection and for the long-term sustainability, use and development of the collection. The committee would like to see the terms of any endowment set up as a result of a sale going ahead.”

Caitlin Griffiths, the MA’s head of professional issues, said: “Making decisions in such cases is always difficult, and we understand that it may well cause concern to some in the sector, but the MA’s ethics committee has been rigorous in applying the requirements of the code and after deliberations our view is that the requirements have been met.

“We understand that this has been a difficult decision for the Royal Cornwall Museum, and they have not undertaken it lightly.

“So, although the MA believes that museums should not view their collections as assets and disposals do not take place for financial reasons unless there are exceptional circumstances, on this occasion the committee takes the view that the circumstances meet these criteria.”

To read the full statement from the MA, click here (word)

To read a statement from the RCM, click here

Find an object

The paintings are now on the MA's Find an object search

For details of the paintings, and other objects for disposal, please click here