Should museums sell treasured works? Pandemic revives debate

Visitors seen in one of the galleries at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 'The Met' in New York. Photo: AFP

American museums hit hard by the pandemic are selling paintings to bridge revenue gaps, with some going further and using the funds to diversify collections, but critics say the sales betray the institutions' mission of preserving artwork for the public.

US museums were only able to sell works, known as deaccessioning, in order to buy back others until April 2020 when the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) lifted the ban for two years to allow institutions to compensate for coronavirus-era losses.