SOTHEBY'S TO SELL OLD MASTERS FROM LACMA COLLECTION

THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART (LACMA) IS SENDING A GROUP OF OLD MASTER PAINTINGS TO THE AUCTION BLOCK AT SOTHEBY'S ON 28.JANUARY, THE LATEST IN A SERIES OF WORKS THAT THE INSTITUTION HAS PRUNED FROM ITS MASSIVE COLLECTION OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS. 'IT MAY SEEM SHOCKING THAT I AM SELLING PAINTINGS, BUT I'M WILLING TO ACCEPT THE CRITICISM', SAID PATRICE MARANDEL, THE MUSEUM'S CHIEF CURATOR OF PAINTINGS, WHO HAS BEEN OVERSEEING THE SALES. HE NOTES THAT MOST OF THE WORKS THAT HE HAS MOVED TO SELL HAD SAT IN STORAGE IN RECENT YEARS BECAUSE THEY NO LONGER CONFORM WITH LACMA'S GOALS FOR ITS EXHIBITION PROGRAM. THE MUSEUM HAS ALSO BEEN ADDING TO ITS EUROPEAN PAINTINGS COLLECTION THROUGH PURCHASES AND DONATIONS. FOR EXAMPLE, LOS ANGELES COLLECTORS HANNAH AND EDWARD CARTER LEFT 34 PAINTINGS FROM THE 17th CENTURY TO THE MUSEUM, AND MARANDEL SAYS THAT HE IS STILL ON THE HUNT FOR MORE FLEMISH PAINTINGS. THIS MONTH, LACMA WILL REOPEN ITS GALLERIES FOR DUTCH, FLEMISH, SPANISH AND FRENCH PAINTINGS, WHICH HAVE BEEN CLOSED FOR NEARLY A YEAR FOR RENOVATIONS. THE MUSEUM ALSO PLANS TO REOPEN ITS ITALIAN BAROQUE ART GALLERY NEXT MONTH, WHICH WILL FEATURE ANTIQUITIES ALONGSIDE PAINTINGS AND SCULPTURES, PART OF AN EFFORT TO DISPLAY ART AS IT WOULD HAVE BEEN PORTRAYED IN ROMAN PALACES OF ENGLISH COUNTRY HOUSES.