Brandeis University Art Collection on the Blocks?

Last year, we reported on legal battles swirling around Fisk University's (thus far unsuccessful) attempt to sell its collection of Georgia O'Keeffe paintings. It seems Fisk was a bit of a trend setter. As The New York Times reports, now Brandeis University is seeking to sell the entire holdings of its Rose Art Museum. The Times reports that Massachusetts' Attorney General is reviewing wills and agreements between donors and the Museum and/or the University to see if such a sale violates the terms on which donations were made. As the Times and other reports have noted, it is a bad time to be selling art, but Brandeis seems to be especially hard-hit by the current economic downturn, as several of its reliable donors had invested money with Bernard Madoff.

[Jeremy Telman]