Detroit Saves It's Art Museum

A bright light shone briefly on the City of Detroit as it approved its bankruptcy plan. It was able to refrain from selling $600 million dollars worth of artwork from the Detroit Institute of Arts in a miraculous philanthropic effort from foundations across the country. As a public holding of the City of Detroit, the museum was designated to raise $600 million through the sale of pieces from its collection. However, through extensive fundraising, the Detroit Institute of Arts was able to raise the funds from multiple foundations. In addition to the required funds, the State of Michigan even contributed a large portion. 

While art enthusiasts and museum-goers are celebrating their victory, it could be short lived. The struggling city has devised its bankruptcy plan to start the journey back to normalcy, but a bad turn could once again put the spotlight on the Detroit collection, valued at approximately $8.1 billion dollars. The museum’s collection is seen as an easily dispensable source of major income for the city in this time of crisis, but it is not something that can be rebuilt after the city recovers. Auto industry families donated most of the museum’s most influential pieces in the early 20th century and the valuation of such work has increased dramatically. It is amazing that these private foundations have to intervene in order to protect this culture owned by the state. Unlike many other museums, the Detroit Institute of Arts is owned by the city and many saw it as a way to speed up the recovery process through a quick sale. This would help people be able to receive benefits from the city, but the art that would have been sold could not be replaced or a similar collection be assembled.

In an attempt to persuade the museum not to sell, the major museums across the country such as the Modern Museum of Art, The Art Institute of Chicago and many others vowed not to purchase any art if it were to go up for sale. While this combination of efforts was succesfull recently, would this collection be up for debate if Detroit returned to economic turmoil in the future? I hope that the city does not have to resort to this quick-sell opportunity and can maintain this cultural icon as long as possible. Do you think the current situation will last?