Brandeis Art Collection for Sale, Museum to Close

If you've never been, get to Brandeis' Rose Art Museum as soon as you can: the art is for sale and the museum is set to close soon. The school is selling the works in order to raise money for continued operations; as our inside source at Brandeis described it, the school's financial situation is "wicked bad." Brandeis president Jehuda Reinharz puts it a bit more mildly, saying "These are extraordinary times," with the school facing a possible budget shortfall of $10 million. Brandeis has already implemented a hiring freeze and is considering some other radical measures, such as requiring students to take summer courses.

Student activists have planned a sit-in at the museum Thursday at 1pm in the interest of saving the museum and protesting the school's decision to take such a big step without sufficient community input. Even Michael Rush, the museum director, only learned of the decision to sell yesterday, after the board of trustees voted on it. The school does not have a prominent announcement on its website, which still touts upcoming arts events.

Among the museum's big names are Roy Lichtenstein, Jasper Johns, and Andy Warhol, and works by Nam June Paik, Anri Sala, William Kentridge, Thomas Demand and Matthew Barney had been recently acquired. The museum holds 8000 pieces and is expected to close by the end of the summer, at which time the space will be dedicated to arts instruction. The museum had just launched several new exhibits, including Saints and Sinners, Hans Hofmann: Circa 1950, and Master of Reality.

Arts curators and those who have donated to the museum question the decision, both for its unprecedented nature and for its timing—the price of art is declining. Greg Cook says, "it feels like the school is selling off its inheritance to survive a short-term problem," and we're inclined to agree. Cook also has the full press release from Brandeis.