Christie’s Submits 150-Page Report on Detroit Institute Art Valuations and Monetization Recommendations UPDATED

UPDATE: Detroit Institute’s reaction to the report is here.

This message from Christie’s just hit my inbox:

Christie’s has delivered to the Emergency Manager’s Office of the City of Detroit the final report on its two-part project that includes a valuation of City of Detroit (COD)- purchased works of art in the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) collection and recommendations for alternatives that would help the City gain value from the COD works while retaining ownership of them.  The aggregate fair market value of the COD works remains essentially the same as it was in Christie’s preliminary report on December 2, having increased only slightly with the completion of our appraisal. The revised range is $454-867 million [previously $452-866 million].

Per the scope of work set forth by the Emergency Manager, the final 150-page valuation report provides fair market values for COD works only, which represent just under 5% of the DIA’s estimated total collection of 66,000 works. Based on this valuation, Christie’s has also proposed five possible ways in which the art need not be sold but used as a means to allow the City to raise funds from the assets. These concepts were outlined in detail in Christie’s preliminary report to the City on December 2.

Doug Woodham, President, Christie’s Americas, said: “We have fulfilled our commitment to the Emergency Manager by providing a fair market value appraisal of City-purchased art at the DIA. We have also provided non-sale alternatives that would raise money for the City while allowing the collection to remain intact. We trust that both aspects of our report will serve as a useful resource for the Emergency Manager as he continues to evaluate this element of the City’s debt restructuring process.  We thank all involved, including the DIA, for their cooperation with us in completing this assignment.”