The dubious honour of being the first local authority to lose Accreditation status under Arts Council England’s (ACE) management of the scheme could be bestowed on Croydon council.
The move is the result of the council approving the sale of 24 Chinese ceramics from the Riesco Collection. It has forced the sector to once again confront the issue of whether it is ever acceptable to sell off museum collections.
Christie’s is due to auction the items in Hong Kong on 27 November. The sale is predicted to bring in between £9m and £14m. Croydon Council has promised to spend the proceeds on the restoration of the Fairfield Halls theatre.
The ethics committee of the Museums Association (MA) informed Croydon council that it was in breach of its code of ethics. The council resigned its membership of the MA before disciplinary action could be taken.
Strong support
There has been broad support from the sector for the MA’s actions. John Roles, head of Leeds Museums and Galleries, says Croydon’s plans to fund a capital project in another part of the authority’s portfolio are “blatantly wrong”.
Stephen Deuchar, director of the Art Fund, says the MA needs to be even more robust in its response in order to continue protecting public collections around the country.
Dire consequences
The consequences of losing Accreditation could be that Croydon finds itself ineligible for a range of grants from ACE and other funders.
In 2007, Bury Museum was excluded for five years from the Accreditation scheme (see box). It has since reapplied and has won back Accreditation. Derbyshire County Council was excluded in 1991 for five years, but is now part of the scheme.
One of the concerns about financially motivated disposals is that such sales betray the generosity of donors and jeopardise future gifts.
But Tony Trehy, arts and museums manager at Bury Council, says that after losing Accreditation, the council was able to identify alternative sources of funding, and that there was no reduction in the level of donations to the museum from benefactors.
Adrian Babbidge, director of heritage consultancy Egeria, however, says financially motivated disposals could deter donors and grant-funders who subsequently consider the institution unreliable.
He adds that local authorities are often wary of deaccessioning because of fears over a public backlash.
Rekindled debate
The controversy over Croydon has reignited the debate over disposal, and whether the MA’s code of ethics is workable.
“The system works, and tinkering with it is unnecessary and would be a diversion from addressing the real challenges faced by museums today,” says Babbidge.
The newly appointed director of Derby Museums Trust, Tony Butler, says the fallout in the light of Croydon’s actions could be far-reaching.
He argues that selling off works of art for broader cultural development sets a dangerous precedent. “First it is a museum redevelopment, then a theatre, then a swimming pool,” says Butler. “Where does it stop –repairing housing stock?”
But straitened local authorities will no doubt be watching Croydon’s strategy.
“In the current financial climate, especially around local authority funding, there is bound to be additional pressure to realise assets,” concludes Roles.
1991
Derbyshire County Council sold 16 paintings from Buxton Museum and Art Gallery’s collection to help plug its budget deficit. The incident led the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council to de-register the museum service.
2006
Bury Council sold a painting by LS Lowry from the collection of Bury Museum and Art Gallery in November 2006, to meet a shortfall in the council’s budget. The painting fetched £1.4m at auction. The council was expelled from the Museums Association (MA).
2008
The Watts Gallery in Surrey decided to sell two paintings by Albert Moore and Edward Burne-Jones following a revision to the MA’s ethical guidelines, which allowed sales in “exceptional circumstances”. Proceeds from the sales went towards the care and conservation of its core collection.
2012
Northampton Borough Council unveiled plans to sell an ancient funerary monument, valued at £2m. The council is facing a legal challenge from the 7th Marquess of Northampton over ownership of its Egyptian collections, which include the statue. The sale would raise funds for improvements to the museum service.
Update
04.11.2013
We said that Croydon had lost Accreditation status. In fact, ACE is still reviewing Croydon's Accreditation status.
The move is the result of the council approving the sale of 24 Chinese ceramics from the Riesco Collection. It has forced the sector to once again confront the issue of whether it is ever acceptable to sell off museum collections.
Christie’s is due to auction the items in Hong Kong on 27 November. The sale is predicted to bring in between £9m and £14m. Croydon Council has promised to spend the proceeds on the restoration of the Fairfield Halls theatre.
The ethics committee of the Museums Association (MA) informed Croydon council that it was in breach of its code of ethics. The council resigned its membership of the MA before disciplinary action could be taken.
Strong support
There has been broad support from the sector for the MA’s actions. John Roles, head of Leeds Museums and Galleries, says Croydon’s plans to fund a capital project in another part of the authority’s portfolio are “blatantly wrong”.
Stephen Deuchar, director of the Art Fund, says the MA needs to be even more robust in its response in order to continue protecting public collections around the country.
Dire consequences
The consequences of losing Accreditation could be that Croydon finds itself ineligible for a range of grants from ACE and other funders.
In 2007, Bury Museum was excluded for five years from the Accreditation scheme (see box). It has since reapplied and has won back Accreditation. Derbyshire County Council was excluded in 1991 for five years, but is now part of the scheme.
One of the concerns about financially motivated disposals is that such sales betray the generosity of donors and jeopardise future gifts.
But Tony Trehy, arts and museums manager at Bury Council, says that after losing Accreditation, the council was able to identify alternative sources of funding, and that there was no reduction in the level of donations to the museum from benefactors.
Adrian Babbidge, director of heritage consultancy Egeria, however, says financially motivated disposals could deter donors and grant-funders who subsequently consider the institution unreliable.
He adds that local authorities are often wary of deaccessioning because of fears over a public backlash.
Rekindled debate
The controversy over Croydon has reignited the debate over disposal, and whether the MA’s code of ethics is workable.
“The system works, and tinkering with it is unnecessary and would be a diversion from addressing the real challenges faced by museums today,” says Babbidge.
The newly appointed director of Derby Museums Trust, Tony Butler, says the fallout in the light of Croydon’s actions could be far-reaching.
He argues that selling off works of art for broader cultural development sets a dangerous precedent. “First it is a museum redevelopment, then a theatre, then a swimming pool,” says Butler. “Where does it stop –repairing housing stock?”
But straitened local authorities will no doubt be watching Croydon’s strategy.
“In the current financial climate, especially around local authority funding, there is bound to be additional pressure to realise assets,” concludes Roles.
Who else has fallen foul of disposal rules?
1991
Derbyshire County Council sold 16 paintings from Buxton Museum and Art Gallery’s collection to help plug its budget deficit. The incident led the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council to de-register the museum service.
2006
Bury Council sold a painting by LS Lowry from the collection of Bury Museum and Art Gallery in November 2006, to meet a shortfall in the council’s budget. The painting fetched £1.4m at auction. The council was expelled from the Museums Association (MA).
2008
The Watts Gallery in Surrey decided to sell two paintings by Albert Moore and Edward Burne-Jones following a revision to the MA’s ethical guidelines, which allowed sales in “exceptional circumstances”. Proceeds from the sales went towards the care and conservation of its core collection.
2012
Northampton Borough Council unveiled plans to sell an ancient funerary monument, valued at £2m. The council is facing a legal challenge from the 7th Marquess of Northampton over ownership of its Egyptian collections, which include the statue. The sale would raise funds for improvements to the museum service.
Update
04.11.2013
We said that Croydon had lost Accreditation status. In fact, ACE is still reviewing Croydon's Accreditation status.