from The New York Times
Museums Set to Sell Art, and Some Experts Cringe
go to article

Some call it "renewal" while others have criticised it as "ill-informed". The de-accessioning of museums' collections for sale has consistently touched a raw nerve, reflecting the inability of museum professionals to agree on a common philosophical framework with regards to the ownership of cultural artefacts - are these historical materials that happen to have an economic value (and cost of maintenance) or are these the very evidence (and essence) of humanity's history. Or perhaps both, which, of course, doesn't help clarify the debate at all.