Donors Consider Legal Options in Brandeis Museum Controversy

The former U.S. poet laureate Robert Pinsky will be among the panel members discussing art museums and their collections in a time of financial crisis in a discussion to be aired online tonight at Brandeis University, reports the Los Angeles Times.

Brandeis’s controversial plan to close its Rose Art Museum and possibly sell its collection is the spur for the symposium, titled “Preserving Trust.” It will be streamed live on the university’s Web site at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time and subsequently posted on YouTube.

The university appears to be scaling back its plan to sell its collection, worth an estimated $350-million, reports The Wall Street Journal.

A letter the university sent to alumni suggested that no pieces would be sold until a need arises, but critics say they believe the institution still seems intent on selling the works. An heir to the family that gave money for the museum, plus a major donor to the museum, are investigating legal options to oppose the plan, the newspaper says.

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