Sesso: M
AP: Ohio's Toledo Museum
of Art is selling 68 antiquities
from its collection, a move
drawing criticism from
a nationally known
archaeologist and
Egyptian officials.
About half the items are from Egypt, The Blade newspaper reported.
Others come
from Cyprus,
Greece and Italy.
They're being sold at a
New York auction on
Tuesday and an online sale
closing the same day.
"It's just, for me, puzzling and
distressing to see this
shortsighted decision,"
said Joan Connelly,
a renowned art expert
and Toledo native.
"As an archaeologist I'm just
astounded any museum would
sell off items with good
provenance, which can be held
forever." According to the
newspaper, the Egyptian
government indicated in
news coverage in that country
that it's seeking to stop the sales.
Brian Kennedy, the museum's
director, said its board approved
selling the items that didn't
meet the quality of the
current collection. The museum
conducted a two-year review
of its collection before the sale
was approved.
The process is called deaccession,
which the Toledo Museum of
Art similarly used in whittling
down its modern contemporary
collection in 2002, its Old Masters
collection in 2006 and its Asian
art collection in 2008.
Many of the objects either
haven't been put on display
in decades or appeared
only sporadically. The items
at auction include Egyptian
pottery and shabtis, or funeral
figurines. Also for sale online
is a first or second century
Roman bronze strigil, which
is a curved blade used to
scrape sweat and dirt off the
skin following a bath or exercise.
Kennedy said the museum
acquired most of the artifacts
directly from their countries
of origin during the 1910s
and 1920s. Connelly said
international cultural heritage
laws have made it impossible
for museums to acquire such
antiquities these days. The items
are unlikely to be replaced
once the museum discards them.
Kennedy expects the sale to generate
about $500,000, which can
be used on other acquisitions.
Connelly remembers the
antiques from childhood
visits to the museum and said
she felt absolutely sick when
first learning of the auction.
She called the sale "a great loss
to Toledo."
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