Brandeis Art Collection to be Sold

Way back in 1998, I was sent on assignment to Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass. to cover the occasion of its fiftieth anniversary. Aside from the deluge (and getting stuck at Logan airport), it was a memorable visit and I was impressed, not so much by the physical beauty of the campus (actually it is built on a hillside and only boasts one what I would call typical collegiate-like structure), but by its spirit and dedication to academic pursuits.

I tell you this because I was greatly disturbed to read in the New York Times that Brandeis is selling off the entire holdings of its Rose Art Museum to pay the bills. And bear with me here because there actually is a vague connection to the usual topics of this blog. Before it was Brandeis, the campus belonged to Middlesex University, a small, privately owned medical and veterinary school. Brandeis acquired its charter in 1945, along with its quirky, castle-type structure that is its central landmark.

Back to the future. The Trustees of the University made what its president calls "an agonizing decision" to sell off the collection because the school's endowment, once $700 million, has been significantly downsized. Jehuda Reinharz, the university's president (and who I met) put it this way: "Choosing between and among important and valued university assets is terrible; but our priority in the face of hard choices will always be the university's core teaching and research mission."

The Brandeis collection includes some 6,000 works--many significant examples of 20th century art--and is believed to be worth between $350 and $400 million. The problem is garnering that amount in the current economy is certain to be difficult, if not impossible.

Worse is the fact that the action sets a terrible precedent for other institutions. Many donors bequeath art to their alma maters presuming it will not only be safe but provide scholarly opportunities for students and faculty. The Massachusetts attorney general's office is reviewing the legalities of the sale but the university is going ahead with its plans to shut the museum in June and convert the space into a teaching center with a gallery and studio space.

"One fears that this opens a floodgate," commented David Alan Robertson, director of the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University. "And it's a detriment to all of our institutions."

Ironically I truly believe that desperate times call for more, not less, exposure to art in many forms. The power of art to inspire and lift us out of our doldrums, even for a few hours, cannot be overestimated.

I truly feel for the dire situation that Brandeis University finds itself in and hope that some angel steps forward to save its artistic soul.