AAMD and AAM Statement Regarding Pollock and University of Iowa Museum of Art
NEW YORK, NY.- In response to the recent call to sell Jackson Pollock’s Mural from the collection of The University of Iowa Museum of Art, the Association of Art Museum Directors and the American Association of Museums released the following joint statement:
The Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) and the American Association of Museums (AAM) are alarmed to learn of the recent proposal to sell the Jackson Pollock painting Mural to underwrite costs at The University of Iowa. Such a sale would violate a fundamental ethical principle of the museum field, one which all accredited museums are bound to respect: that an accessioned work of art may not be treated as a disposable financial asset.
- Jackson Pollock, “Mural,” 1943, oil on canvas, 8′ 1 1/4″ x 19′ 10″. University of Iowa Museum of Art, gift of Peggy Guggenheim.
University of Iowa President Sally Mason has forcefully spoken out against such an action in the past. We applaud this courageous stand and deplore the treatment of works of art held in trust for the public as a ready source of cash. We offer our support and call on the arts community to help prevent this permanent and irredeemable loss for the University and the people of the state of Iowa.
The Association of Art Museum Directors, representing 200 art museum directors in the US, Canada, and Mexico, promotes the vital role of art museums throughout North America and advances the profession by cultivating leadership and communicating standards of excellence in museum practice.
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