Could Houston Museums Sell Their Art Amid the Pandemic?

Houston museums have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars amid the pandemic and economic shut-down, but could they go as far as to sell their own art? They've recently been given the green light.

The Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) usually frowns upon museums selling their art to pay the bills, but amid the pandemic, it's relaxed its rules according to the Washington Post. The decision opens the door for museums across the country to do so. However, if you live in Houston, you don't have to worry. The Museum of Fine Arts Houston has no plans to sell its items.

“The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston currently has no plans to sell art from the collection to support operations,” officials told our TV Partner Channel 2 in a written statement. “While this is a difficult time for our Museum -- losing $400,000 each week that we remain closed to the public, while retaining at full pay 640 employees – we hope that reduced discretionary expenditures and community support will enable our operations to continue through this unprecedented period and beyond.”

The Houston Museum of Natural Science says they’re miles away from selling their items.

“We’ve been very fortunate that we’ve had a strong outpouring of support from our board of trustees as well as from the community in terms of fundraising, foundations and individuals that have stepped up to help,” Joel Bartsch, the Museum’s President, told KTRH.

Bartsch says they do rely, heavily, on ticket sales. The Museum of Natural Science will re-open on May 15th. They will require face masks and will implement social distancing guidelines.


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