The Bury Museum and Art Gallery is in danger of losing its membership of the Museums Association (MA) after announcing its intention to sell a painting from its collection. The proceeds of the sale of A Riverbank by LS Lowry will help to plug a £10m deficit in Bury Metropolitan Borough Council's (BMBC) budget.
The move is likely to contravene the MA's code of ethics, which says museums should 'refuse to undertake disposal principally for financial reasons (either to raise income or decrease expenditure)'.
According to the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA), the museum's registration could also be at risk. As Museums Journal was going to press, the council was in consultation with the MLA to discuss whether the museum, which is registered, would be able to go forward with its application for accreditation, or whether the sale of the painting would lead to its registration being removed.
There are fears that the painting could be sold to an overseas buyer after the National Art Collections Fund (Art Fund) indicated that it would 'strongly recommend against giving a grant' to help a UK institution buy it. A spokesman for Christie's, the auction house, said that Lowry had 'good international appeal'.
The spokesman said that last November's sale of Lowry's A Footbridge fetched £422,400 from a private buyer in the US. A Riverbank is valued at approximately £750,000.
The MA's ethics committee is currently discussing the case, but Maurice Davies, the MA's deputy director, said: 'If Bury goes ahead with its proposal to sell the painting, it seems likely that, in addition to the MLA reviewing its accreditation status, the MA would consider disciplinary action against the council.' The MA has written to the council asking it to reconsider its plans.
The only expulsion from the MA to date occurred when Derbyshire County Council sold a collection of paintings, including one by Lowry, to make up a budget shortfall in 1991. The incident also led MLA to de-register all the museums in the museum service. Derbyshire's museums have since had their registration and MA membership reinstated.
Mark Sanders, BMBC's chief executive, said: 'We look forward to the consultation with the MLA to discuss how we are able to satisfy the requirements of the MLA without jeopardising our financial situation.'
The Watts Gallery in Compton, Surrey, has delayed its decision to sell two paintings from its collection - Jasmine by Albert Moore and The Triumph of Love by Edward Coley Burne-Jones - following consultation with the MA. Perdita Hunt, the gallery's director, said she was still in consultation and that a decision would be delayed until the end of the year.
Meanwhile, Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council in South Wales is in negotiations with the National Museum Cardiff (NMC) over the sale of Kangchenjunga from Darjeeling, an Edward Lear painting commissioned by Lord Aberdare in 1872 and donated to the council. The Art Fund has offered NMC £50,000 towards the asking price of £414,400.
Patrick Steel
The move is likely to contravene the MA's code of ethics, which says museums should 'refuse to undertake disposal principally for financial reasons (either to raise income or decrease expenditure)'.
According to the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA), the museum's registration could also be at risk. As Museums Journal was going to press, the council was in consultation with the MLA to discuss whether the museum, which is registered, would be able to go forward with its application for accreditation, or whether the sale of the painting would lead to its registration being removed.
There are fears that the painting could be sold to an overseas buyer after the National Art Collections Fund (Art Fund) indicated that it would 'strongly recommend against giving a grant' to help a UK institution buy it. A spokesman for Christie's, the auction house, said that Lowry had 'good international appeal'.
The spokesman said that last November's sale of Lowry's A Footbridge fetched £422,400 from a private buyer in the US. A Riverbank is valued at approximately £750,000.
The MA's ethics committee is currently discussing the case, but Maurice Davies, the MA's deputy director, said: 'If Bury goes ahead with its proposal to sell the painting, it seems likely that, in addition to the MLA reviewing its accreditation status, the MA would consider disciplinary action against the council.' The MA has written to the council asking it to reconsider its plans.
The only expulsion from the MA to date occurred when Derbyshire County Council sold a collection of paintings, including one by Lowry, to make up a budget shortfall in 1991. The incident also led MLA to de-register all the museums in the museum service. Derbyshire's museums have since had their registration and MA membership reinstated.
Mark Sanders, BMBC's chief executive, said: 'We look forward to the consultation with the MLA to discuss how we are able to satisfy the requirements of the MLA without jeopardising our financial situation.'
The Watts Gallery in Compton, Surrey, has delayed its decision to sell two paintings from its collection - Jasmine by Albert Moore and The Triumph of Love by Edward Coley Burne-Jones - following consultation with the MA. Perdita Hunt, the gallery's director, said she was still in consultation and that a decision would be delayed until the end of the year.
Meanwhile, Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council in South Wales is in negotiations with the National Museum Cardiff (NMC) over the sale of Kangchenjunga from Darjeeling, an Edward Lear painting commissioned by Lord Aberdare in 1872 and donated to the council. The Art Fund has offered NMC £50,000 towards the asking price of £414,400.
Patrick Steel
