Ok. It is not Victory Boogie Woogie, the Mondrian painting that in a distant and then cultural past ministry and municipality Hilversum embarrassed, because of the planned sale of the canvas to pay for the renovation of City Hall. Still. 'Schoolboys' of Marlene Dumas is also a canvas by a cherished painter, and you don't just sell that to a stranger either.
But yes. Today, the law of economic power applies and art must be sold to the highest bidder. At least that is how MuseumGouda thought when it felt it had to make up a deficit in its operations by selling an valuable canvas to a stranger. Indeed, Schoolboys by Marlene Dumas is almost iconic, so lovers of Dutch art property have a point when they say it cannot pass muster.
In any case, the Dutch Museum Association, to which every self-respecting museum in the Netherlands belongs, was 'not amused' at the action of the Gouda member. Therefore, that association is now threatening to sodomise the Gouda member from the association.
The press release puts it this way:
Members particularly regret that the painting was not offered to other Dutch museums so that it could have been preserved for the Netherlands. In doing so, the museum violated the Guideline for Disposal of Museum Collections. Chairman Hans Kamps: 'As a matter of principle, the members are of the opinion that a museum should never sell collection pieces to alleviate its financial distress. Especially in these times of austerity, when museums are under pressure, it is important to underline this principle '.
The club meets on 28 November, and we will know more.
We will, as always, keep you updated.
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