Malcolm Rogers
In my diatribe yesterday against the decision by the board of the Association of Art Museum Directors that its member museums should deny loans to or collaboration with the National Academy, I noted that six museums listed on the Academy’s website as lending art to an upcoming Academy show have now been deleted from the online description of that show. The only lender still listed was not an AAMD member. What I didn’t say is that I had contacted Carmine Branagan, director of the Academy, several times for comment on this, but received none.
This just hit my inbox this morning from Malcolm Rogers, director of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts:
I believe you will find that the Metropolitan Museum, the MFA Boston
and the National Portrait Gallery have not yet decided whether to withdraw their loans to
the National Academy’s exhibition, pending discussions at the AAMD
conference. I believe there is some sympathy for the notion that one
ought not to rescind existing loan agreements, or adopt too punitive an
approach.
Sounds like rebellion in the ranks may be brewing. It should be an interesting meeting.